Meet Me At The Cafe
by RamenRenegade
Summary: When Haruno Sakura overhears a conversation she was never meant to hear she finds her entire world turned upside down. Unable to get things back to the way things were, she must decide whether to give in to new passions or let a treasured friendship die away.
1. Chapter 1

"For **Power**."

"For **Money**."

"For **Vengeance**."

"For **Joy**."

"For **Fame**."

"For **Glory**."

"For **Justice**."

Why do you fight?

**Seven Sins**

_Returns Sunday September 14th._

* * *

**WELCOME **

Welcome to my latest three part short story. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto. The following story was originally meant to be a one shot. But it kept growing and growing to the point where I just didn't want to punish you all be reading a ridiculously long, non-stop read. I'm really proud of the overall quality of this one though and I hope you all find it equally enjoyable to read. **Please** leave a little **review** when you're done. The next chapter will be released next Sunday. Thanks for reading!

* * *

**-Sunday June 29****th****-**

**-12:11PM-**

"Zoom! Choo! Choo!" The little boy yelled in delight as he played with his toy plane shooting at invisible enemies only he could see. The little blue plane soared through the sky in his imagination as he held it up with one hand and swung it around with the backdrop of the sunny, blue sky behind it. The boy ran around his smiling parents as he pretended he was the pilot of his own high tech plane.

"Settle down Ryouji," said the little boy's mother; a beautiful raven-haired woman with red framed glasses and a flowing blue dress.

"Let the boy have his fun, Kurome." His father said. He was a man of average height and curly dark brown hair. He wore a pair of khakis and a white polo shirt.

Kurome laughed. "You spoil him too much." She said as she held her husbands' arm lovingly.

The boy continued to play until the sudden smell of sweets stopped him in his tracks. Ryouji looked about and saw that someone had just stepped out of a nearby café. As the door swung open, a pleasurable scent of chocolate, vanilla and cooked sugar wafted out and blanketed itself around the boy.

Ryouji's mouth began to water as he left his parents' side and ran up to the large window that acted as a barrier between the outside world and the treasure room of cakes that he could see inside. Another person walked up to the nearby door and entered which again allowed the warm and inviting smells that lingered within to be released and surround him once more.

Barely able to contain his excitement, the boy turned to his parents who were walking by. "Mom! Dad! Can I get something! I want something!"

Ryouji's mother and father stopped and looked at the little boy as he put on his best, convincing smile. "We still haven't had lunch yet," His father said. "Plus I want to get to the store to get that new phone."

"It's okay honey." Kurome said. "You go on ahead. I'll take him inside and get something."

Her husband looked at her with a mocking smile. "Now who's spoiling him?"

"Whatever." Kurome answered with a quick peck on the lips. "You go on ahead. We'll meet up with you in fifteen minutes." Kurome walked over and took her son by the hand and led him into the warm café. Almost immediately the boy slipped out of her hand and ran through the few people between him and the showcase in the front.

Sakura sat in the corner booth staring at the steam as it slowly wafted into the air from the white porcelain cup of hazelnut coffee that sat before her on the polished wooden table. She saw as the little boy had come flying into the café in front of his mother like a tsunami. He was a ball of excitement as he expected the cakes and candies inside the glass case. She couldn't help but smile as she saw him and the feeling of nostalgia hit her.

A moment passed before she glanced at her watch. It was just past noon in this, her favorite street café in the busy downtown shopping district. Her booth was next to the large window and from inside she could see people passing by. There were men and women, mothers and fathers with their children in tow. Friends, families and lovers strolled by leisurely on this sundrenched day. For a long time she sat comfortably as she watched the people walk by as they laughed and talked to each other or on their cellphones. The shopping area wasn't overly packed today thankfully and Sakura found watching the happy people calming.

Inside the café was equally tranquil. The entire café was painted in light mahogany with green accents. Several paintings, of Japanese and Italian impressionists adorned the walls interspersed with pictures of the owners and a few famous patrons who has visited at one time or another. A rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata played wistfully from the ceiling mounted speakers while a handful of patrons went about their business. There was a young couple sitting across from one another on the other side of the café, gazing into each others eyes as they held hands. They spoke in hushed tones, laughing every so often as their steamed drinks sat untouched between them.

Another person, a young looking man with glasses, wild, matted hair and tired eyes in a plain, yellow t-shirt and blue jeans, hovered over his laptop as he typed obsessively. _A college student most likely or perhaps an aspiring writer_, Sakura thought. A middle aged couple with their young daughter stood at the register as the little girl gleefully went about the business of picking one of the many brightly colored pastries that sat behind a glass case. She and the boy now stood next to each other and began to converse. Their equal love of sweets made them instant friends. Again, this brought a small smile to Sakura's face.

The sweet aroma of the pastries intermingled with the scent of coffee beans, flavored teas and chocolate that soothed Sakura to the soul and swarmed her senses with a cacophony of smells that was like an endless treasure left only for her to discover. There was little wonder why this was one of her favorite places to visit. She'd found the little shop years ago while in kindergarten with her parents and fell in love with the place almost immediately.

Whenever she and her parents were in the area she would beg them to come here and as she grew and entered middle school and eventually high school she would stop by on her own as often as she could just to drink some of their warming teas, hot chocolate or sample their coffee along with her favorite sweets. Over the years she's become friendly with the owners; a sweet elderly couple who used some of their retirement funds to purchase the place nearly fifteen years ago. This café wasn't located in an area often frequented by any of her friends or other teens so it had become her own secret place where she would come for solitude and shelter. Few knew about this oasis. She had not even shared this place with Sasuke.

Sakura took a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. Despite the tranquility around her, her stomach was in knots and no matter how long she kept holding on to the hot cup of coffee with both her hands, they felt surprisingly cold. She went over her speech over and over in her head just as she'd done last night sitting in front of her mirror. Just as she'd done for the past few nights since she'd made her decision. She thought that finally, after all of the practicing that she'd be ready. The truth was she couldn't recall a time when she was more nervous than she was at this moment.

_ I can do this. I can do this._ She silently repeated this mantra as she thought about was about to happen. She looked at her watch again. _He's late._ She thought. _Of course he's late. When has he ever been on time for anything except for baseball?_ Despite her annoyance Sakura also had to admit to herself that part of her was thankful that he hadn't arrived yet. She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable she looked right now. She was happy for the time to prepare herself. Everything was about to change, one way or the other, after today.

But hadn't everything already changed weeks ago? For weeks her relationship with him was not what it used to be. How could it be after what she'd heard that day after school?

**-Thursday May 12****th**** -**

**-3:35PM-**

"Damn it!" Sakura exclaimed as she dug through her book bag.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked. She, along with Tenten and Hinata stood with Sakura under a tree in the school courtyard.

"I forgot my math book in class." Sakura answered. "And I need it for our homework."

"Hurry up and get it." Hinata said. "We'll wait here for you."

"Right. Right. I'll be right back." Sakura responded as she began to walk back towards the school as several dozen students stood milled about.

"Hurry up!" Ino yelled after her friend. "We have to meet Sasuke-kun and the boys in less than twenty minutes!"

Sakura merely waved her off as she walked through the doors and back into the empty hallways of her school. There were still a few students in some of the classrooms, likely there for after school studies or social groups.

Sakura made it to the staircase and walked up to the third floor and made her way down the hallway. As she drew closer to her classroom door, she could hear voices coming from inside. She stopped just before she reached the door as the two voices she heard were familiar to her but it was obvious the nature of their conversation was very personal.

"You should tell her." One person said. Sakura could tell that it was Nara Shikamaru, her classmate and one of the smartest kids in school despite the fact that he spent most his time daydreaming and barely paid attention in class. Yet, inexplicably whenever the results of tests were released, Shikamaru would not only finish top in her class but would always be top three in the school, along with herself and Hinata. It was scary to think how much further ahead he would be compared to everyone else if he actually tried studying.

"I can't. No way." The other voice was obviously that of Namikaze Naruto, one of Shikamaru's best friends and one of Sakura's oldest. They had met just before entering kindergarten together and had been friends ever since. Naruto was as much the slacker in class as Shikamaru but whatever demonic deal Shikamaru had made to get good grades, Naruto had made no such deal. He was constantly near the bottom of the class and Sakura worried about what kind of university he'd get into, if any at all. But Naruto had one of the biggest hearts she'd ever seen and was a gifted athlete. He was an ace pitcher and skilled batter for their high school baseball team. In fact several scouts for professional teams had already begun to come to his games recently which, of course, made him quite popular with the ladies, despite him still not having a girlfriend.

Sakura quickly peaked into the room, taking extra care not to be seen, and saw the two boys sitting on desks across from each other by the windows. Shikamaru was looking at his friend as Naruto rested his chin on his folded arms that was perched on his raised knee as he looked out the window down at the courtyard where the girls were likely waiting for Sakura.

"Dude, you need to say something. If not for you, then for me. I can't deal with your ass like this anymore." Shikamaru said.

"Like what?" Naruto replied.

"Like this!" Shikamaru yelled as he gestured at Naruto. "A sad pathetic lump of depressing shit."

"Tsk! Thanks bro." Naruto said sarcastically.

"Look dude, you need to grow a pair and tell her how you feel. Either that or you need to finally move on." Shikamaru said. "You've been moping around since middle school. This crap isn't healthy."

"How can I do that?" Naruto asked. "You and I both know I'd be rejected. So what would be the point? We've been friends for so long. It would just change our relationship"

"The point is that she would finally know how you feel." Shikamaru answered. "You'll finally know for sure and then you can finally move on. And I won't have to deal with this bullshit anymore."

_ Wow!_ Sakura thought as she listened in. _They're talking about a girl._ Sakura snickered quietly at the thought. _What great luck! I wonder who it is._ Sakura peaked again and saw that Naruto was still looking down at the courtyard through the window. It was then it dawned on her. _Hinata and Ino are down there! There's no way he's interested in Ino. She's too flashy a girl for his tastes. Could Hinata be the girl he's talking about?!_ Sakura pumped her fist. _That would be great! Hinata would be so excited! She did tell me she thought Naruto was cute! Hell, she almost decided to confess a few months back before chickening out. Although I did hear that Sai is probably going to make a move on her soon. Oh! This could be a classic love triangle!_

"Maybe you're right." Naruto said as Sakura continued to listen in.

"Damn right I am." Shikamaru responded. "You've been pining after her for all this time and never stepped up to the plate!"

Sakura held her hand to her lips to keep from being heard as she snickered in delight. _Damn! He has to be talking about Hinata, right?! Of course he is!_

"Yeah! Yeah!" Naruto said dismissively. "Well, it's not that simple you know. She does have a boyfriend."

Sakura paused in her silent celebration. _A boyfriend? Hinata doesn't have a boyfriend?! Who in the world are they..?_

"Well who the hell's fault is that anyway?" Shikamaru said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You had years to tell her how you felt. Even after Sasuke came and told you he was going to ask her out you still had time. He gave you one last chance, but as usual you wimped out."

Naruto jumped to his feet. "You think I haven't dreamed about telling Sakura that I love her?!" He yelled. "That I've loved her practically my whole life?! She's the only one…the only one to ever make me feel like…like my heart just stopped beating. Of course! But it's just..! I…just…"

"Alright dude, don't pee yourself." Shikamaru said with a chuckle as he slung his book-bag over his shoulder. "So what do you plan to do about it?"

Naruto sighed. "I don't know."

"Well, I think that if you're not going to say anything, you should move on. And you do know the best way to move on from a girl right? It's to get another. How's about Shion from class three? She's been flirting with you a bit. She's pretty hot.. Or Hinata? Rumor has it she might have a thing for you."

"Really?" Naruto replied. "I never would have guessed."

"Yup. That's what I heard from Ino anyway." Shikamaru answered. "That girl can't keep a secret for her life. And look at it this way, you two would have something in common. She doesn't have any balls either."

"Fuck you!" Naruto yelled.

Shikamaru laughed. "Calm down Naruto. Look, let's get out of here, huh? We got to go meet up with Choji and the others for practice in a little bit."

"Right." Naruto answered as he picked up his book bag and followed Shikamaru out of the room. The pair entered the empty hallway and Shikamaru threw his arm around his friends' shoulder.

"Cheer up bro." He said with a smile. "It's not like they're getting married or anything. Well, at least not yet anyway. But who knows once they got out of high school…"

"Not funny!" Naruto screamed as he pushed Shikamaru off.

Shikamaru laughed. "I'm just teasing! Relax!"

Once they were gone, the door to the classroom across from their own opened and Sakura crept out, closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Her head pounded, her heart seemed to ache and her stomach was twisted in knots. "Naruto." She whispered.

**-Now-**

Sakura picked up her cup and sipped the warming fluid and paused as she allowed it to envelope her as it made its way through her body. Even now, after having weeks to let what she'd heard settle in her mind it was a little hard to fathom. Yes, Naruto had always been nice to her, always gone out of his way help her with anything she needed. But they had been friends for years. He was her oldest friend in fact. Meeting him shortly after her family moved into the area and days prior to entering kindergarten where they were surprisingly both attending.

**-Eleven Years Ago-**

"Mom! Can we go in there?! Please?!" Sakura yelled as she excitedly pointed into the coffee shop at the chocolates and cakes that could be seen in the glass case under the register. The little girl wore a dark blue dress with white flower prints and a red ribbon in her jaw-length hair.

"Sakura, we really don't have time." Sakura's mother, Mebuki, a woman with a shoulder-length blonde hair with a single bang falling down over her face and similar green colored eyes as her daughter, said as she struggled with several large shopping bags she was carrying. "We need to get home so I can start dinner."

"But mom, I really want something!" Her little girl yelled impatiently on the verge of tears.

Mebuki sighed. Her daughter might still be young, but she was already fiercely stubborn. Kizashi would often joke that she had given birth to her greatest rival. Mebuki knew that Sakura was on the verge of another tantrum that she had no patience for. They had only just moved into the district and Kizashi was too busy with work to help with all of the unpacking and shopping that came with such a big move that still needed to be done. They'd already been out for hours and still weren't close to being finished. Not to mention there was getting Sakura ready to begin school and all of the things she needed to buy for that as well. "Fine." Mebuki said in a defeated tone. "We'll get you some cake or chocolate for desert but that's it."

"Shannaro!" Sakura cheered as she followed her mother into the coffee shop. The moment they entered, Sakura felt that she's been transported into another world. The warmth she felt enveloped her like a thick blanket. The mahogany colored walls were strangely soothing. She'd never heard the kind of music that played lightly there. But she liked it. And the smells! The strange and wondrous smells that made her stomach grumble and her mouth water in anticipation.

Mebuki followed her daughter who had already sprinted up to the glass case where all sorts of delicious cakes of different colors and textures and chocolates and candies of every hue awaited them. Even Mebuki had to admit that everything looked delectable as her own stomach growled. Mebuki looked over at an empty booth as if it were an oasis in the desert. "Choose what you want to get Sakura. I'm going to put these bags down."

Sakura nodded as her mother walked away. She then pressed up against the glass as she looked at all of the sweets and found herself unable to choose. _What should I get? Hmm, that looks really good! Or maybe that one! Or that cake!_

"You should try the chocolate cake."

Sakura turned and saw a little blonde-haired boy standing next to her looking into the case. He was wearing tan cargo shorts and a red t-shirt with the picture of a Power Ranger on it. He stood with his hands in his pockets as he looked inside eagerly. "I always get the chocolate cake with vanilla icing." The boy looked at her, Sakura marveled at how blue his eyes were. "And you know what? The old grandma here will put a little strawberry on it just for me!" He said with an excited smile.

"Really?" Sakura asked. "That sounds nice."

"Naruto, what are you doing over here?" The two children looked up to see a strikingly beautiful woman with long red hair and violet eyes. She smiled down at the pair warmly. "Well it looks like you made a new friend."

"It would seem so." Mebuki said as she walked up. "Hello." She said to the red-haired woman. "I'm Haruno Mebuki. This is my daughter Sakura."

"Namikaze Kushina." Kushina replied with a courteous bow. "And this is my son Naruto. And you must have just moved into town."

Mebuki laughed. "How did you know?"

"Oh, that flustered look and all of those bags." Kushina responded with a laugh. "My family just moved here about six months ago too. I'm sure I had the same look."

"Mom!" Naruto said as he tugged on her dress. "I want cake for me and Sakura-chan."

"Right, right." Kushina said. "Why don't we get them something and you and I have some tea Mebuki-chan. You look like you could use the rest."

Mebuki smiled gratefully. "Sure."

For the next hour Mebuki and Kushina talked and laughed as Sakura and Naruto sat on nearby stools with their cakes on the table between them. Their little legs swung as they enjoyed their meal. "You were right!" Sakura yelled. "This is great! Shannaro!" Naruto giggled. "What?"

"Do you always say that shannaro word?" He asked. "It's kinda weird?"

Sakura blushed. "You think so? You think it's stupid?"

"Nah! I'm just kidding. It's kinda cool, dattebayo!" he replied.

Sakura smiled as she looked down at her plate and realized her cake was finished. "Aww!" She exclaimed. "I'm still hungry."

"So ask your mom for more." Naruto said.

"Pft! She'll never let me have more." Sakura said with her arms folded as she looked at her laughing mother. "She's pretty strict when it comes to sweets." That's when she heard the sound of something being slid over to her. Sakura looked to see Naruto's plate, which still had a small piece of cake on it, sitting in front of her.

"You finish it." Naruto said with a smile. Chocolate was smeared on his face.

Sakura looked at the boy and then at the cake. "A-Are you sure?"

Naruto laughed. "It's okay! I've had enough! And my dad always says it's good to share to make friends!"

Sakura smiled. "Thank you." She said before happily eating the last little bit.

"Sakura, we should get going." Mebuki said as she rose to her feet and grabbed her bags. She looked to Kushina. "Thank you for sharing the tea. I'd like to meet up again sometime."

"No problem. I'll call you." Kushina answered.

"Let's go Sakura." Mebuki said as she led Sakura away.

At the last moment Sakura pulled out of her mothers grasp and ran over to Naruto who remained seated. Sakura bowed. "Thank you for the cake and for being my first friend." She quickly turned and ran back to her mother.

Naruto seemed to perk up and smiled as he waved at her. "See ya round Sakura-chan!"

**-Now-**

Sakura wrested her chin on her closed fist just as a waitress walked over with a small plate. "Here you go, Sakura-chan." She said as she put down the plate and walked away.

Sakura looked at the item on the plate. It was a piece of chocolate cake with white frosting and a little strawberry on top. It was her favorite thing to eat here. She couldn't help but smile. Sakura picked up her fork and took a bite. _Delicious as usual, s_he thought as she ate. But somehow, it just wasn't right. The smile faded from her lips as she put down the fork. _What the hell am I doing here? Maybe I shouldn't do this. He's running late as it is. Maybe I should just text him and tell him not to bother. I mean, what do I expect to happen? Even if he agrees with me, everything will change. It won't be how it used to be. How it used to be. Is it possible I never really understood how things were? Did I miss all the signs?_

**-Three Years Ago-**

"Morning boys." Sakura said as she walked down the hallway through the throngs of people. The bell for first period had just rung and there was the usual scatter of people rushing to class. Naruto was standing in front of his locker alongside Shikamaru and Choji. As usual he was taking his time as he fumbled about trying to get his books into his bag while a half eaten protein bar was clenched between his teeth.

"Morning Sakura." Shikamaru replied.

"Hey Sakura!" Choji said.

"Oh! Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied with his usual merriment, forgetting the protein bar that now fell from his lips. Clumsily, he lurched forward to catch his morning snack, missing twice before he finally grabbed it before it hit the floor. He quickly returned the bar to its place between his teeth and finished packing. He then looked to his two friends. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"You got it." Choji replied.

"Later." Shikamaru answered as the two boys walked off.

"You're going to be late, again." Sakura replied as she held up his bag.

"Thanks!" Naruto replied as he stuffed the last of his books into his bag. "At least I'm consistent."

Sakura looked at his messy, disorganized bag. She then grimaced at the sight of his equally chaotic locker that sat open. "You're a complete mess you know that?" She asked. "How do you even get by on a day to day basis?"

Naruto smiled as he slung his bag over his shoulder and closed his locker. "It's no big deal Sakura-chan. It's just a few minutes."

"Tell that to Kakashi-sensei." Sakura replied with annoyance. "He's written you up twice already and we've only been here for a month. We aren't in middle school anymore Naruto. You keep this up and it's going to affect your overall grade. You won't get into a good college."

"Pft! Who cares about college?!" Naruto replied, while waving her off. "I'm going to be pro baseball player. Eventually I'll make it to the big leagues in America!"

"Tsk! Sure you will." Sakura answered while rolling her eyes. "Well in the mean time, can you at least try to get to class on time? I'm not going to keep helping you out forever you know."

"No one asked you to." Naruto replied. "Like I want you to keep treating me like you're a nagging wife or something!"

"Who's a nag?!" Sakura yelled as she smacked Naruto behind the head. "Without me making sure you studied and got to class on time you probably would have been left back by now!"

"Whatever." Naruto replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yo, dumbass." Both Naruto and Sakura looked behind them to see Sasuke making his way through the crowd.

"Hey Sasuke." Naruto answered.

"Oh! G-Good morning Sasuke-kun!" Sakura stuttered as she quickly slid her hand through her hair to make sure it was perfect. "How are you?"

"I'm cool, thanks." Sasuke answered with a quick smile. "You're looking good as usual, Sakura."

Sakura blushed. "Thanks."

"Okay! Okay! Enough of that!" Naruto replied with annoyance.

"You're late again, huh?" Sasuke asked.

"Tsk! Why is everyone so concerned with me being late?!" Naruto yelled angrily.

"If you keep messing up they'll suspend you from the team idiot." Sasuke replied. "Then I'll have to do everything myself. Which really isn't that much different than the usual. But still…"

"Fuck off Sasuke." Naruto said. "I'm a better player than you and you know it."

"In your dreams, maybe." Sasuke replied. "Just get to class on time will ya."

"You're late too!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke suddenly stopped walking and both Naruto and Sakura realized he was standing just outside his classroom. "You were saying?" He asked with a smirk.

"Ugh!" Naruto exclaimed as he turned around and kept walking.

"See you later Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled as she waved. Sasuke nodded with a smile before vanishing through the door. Sakura turned to see Naruto glaring at her. "What?" She asked.

"Don't what me!" Naruto yelled. "Why don't you just hold up a big neon sign with the words "I love you so much", on it?!"

"Tsk! What's you're problem?" Sakura answered. "I'm just being friendly with him. Just because Sasuke-kun is smart, charming, athletic, has a great body…"

"Ugh!" Naruto exclaimed as he angrily bit off a piece of his protein bar and chewed angrily.

"…funny, has a great smile and is hot as hell!" Sakura continued. "It doesn't mean I like him or anything."

Naruto stopped walked and held Sakura's arm so she would too. He then took a long exaggerated stride. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"Stepping over your tongue." Naruto replied with a grin.

"Tsk! Stupid." Sakura said as she continued to walk.

"Don't be so serious." Naruto answered as he ran to catch up to her "Just admit that you like him."

"I don't!" Sakura yelled.

"Really?" Naruto asked. "Too bad. He told me you were cute."

"He did!" Sakura yelled as she stopped in her tracks. Her face had turned bright red as she had a wide grin on her face. "W-When did he..?!"

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "You're pathetic."

Sakura grimaced as she ran up to Naruto and smacked him on the head. "Idiot!" She yelled. "Okay, so maybe I like him. But what's the point in saying anything? He doesn't like me like that. If he rejected me it would be…"

"Too painful." Naruto answered.

Sakura looked at Naruto. There was a sudden and uncharacteristic gloom on his face. "Yeah…" She replied. For a while there seemed to be an awkward silence between them as the walked through the increasingly barren halls. Sakura glanced at her friends face. He seemed to be lost in thought and she was sure there was something that upset him. Marshalling her courage, Sakura spoke up. "Naruto…there isn't someone you happen to…"

"Namikaze-kun!" Naruto and Sakura saw Hatake Kakashi, a tall, silver-haired man standing at the door. "So nice of you to be only five minutes late this time. But I'd appreciate it if you don't keep Haruno-kun from being on time. Unlike you, she cares about her education. Please come in and sit down."

"Yes, sensei." Naruto replied. Naruto looked at Sakura with a smile. "We'd better get inside."

"Right." Sakura replied. She knew Naruto well enough that his smile wasn't genuine. But she wasn't going to push the issue.

Just before they reached the door. Naruto stopped and put his hand up in front of Sakura to stop her. "Wait. Before we go in. Don't you think you should pick up your tongue? It's been dragging on the floor since Sasuke left." Naruto laughed as he turned around.

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled as she smacked Naruto in the back of the head.

**-Now-**

Sakura sighed heavily. _Why the hell would I think about that now? _She wondered._ Should I have pushed him to answer me then? Was I afraid of the answer? Shit! I don't know!_

Sakura took a sip of her coffee. The fragrance engulfed her as the warming liquid permeated her body. She glanced outside and saw a man walking down the street wearing a baseball cap from the local team. It triggered yet another memory.

**-Friday May 20****th****-**

**-4:06PM-**

"Go Lee! Go!" Tenten yelled as she watched him run to catch a fly ball in the outfield. She sat on the right of Sakura while Ino sat on her left. The girls were sitting in the nearly packed bleachers as they watched the boys' baseball team play against a division rival. The sun was shining and there was a warm breeze.

"Ah!" Ino exclaimed as she took the band out of her hair and let it billow in the wind. "What a great day to be outside. I really do love watching them play."

"Please, you hate baseball." Tenten said. "We all know the only reason you come here is to entice the boys. And by the looks of things, you've hooked a few." Both Tenten and Ino looked up behind them where a few boys were sitting at the top of the bleachers. They were all looking at Ino with lust in her eyes. One even appeared to be drooling a bit.

"Ugh!" Ino remarked as she turned around. "I only seem to attract the ugly ones though."

"That's not true." Tenten responded. "You keep turning down some really cute ones too. Face it, there really only is one guy you want, right?"

Tenten and Ino both looked to the dugout where Shikamaru sat laughing with Choji. "Tsk!" Ino exclaimed as she looked away. "That guy's a lazy idiot!" As she looked away her eyes fell upon another blonde haired girl that sat not too far away. Her name was Temari and she sat with her brother Kankuro. Gaara, their younger brother was playing on the team. Temari smiled as she waved. Shikamaru saw this and waved back. "Besides," Ino said almost sadly. "He's kind of off the market."

Sakura heard the girls talking. But to her it was all noise. All she could think about was Naruto. And it didn't help that she could see him standing on the mound. Sweat trickled down his brow as he readied his next pitch. He stood ramrod straight as he'd been taught to do. _Has he always been that tall?_ Sakura wondered as she looked at him. Sakura continued to focus on him. Her glance fell onto his wide back and slim waist. Her eyes wondered down further until she found herself staring at his tight, firm…

Sakura quickly looked away as her face turned bright red. She shook her head as though it could knock the thoughts she had right out of her brain. _Damn it, get a hold of yourself! That's still the same goofy Naruto! What am I thinking?!_ Sakura glanced back just in time to see the pitch. The batter reared back and swung with all his might but missed badly.

"Strike three! You're out!" The umpire yelled.

Sakura felt a sudden burst of exhilaration as she nearly jumped out of her seat to cheer. Mastering her emotion she sat and clapped with everyone else as Naruto and his team trotted back to the dugout where he was congratulated.

"Man, he's really gotten pretty good!" Tenten exclaimed. "No wonder the scouts are all over him!"

Sakura stared at Naruto as he made his way back to the dugout and sat with his team. Gaara, Sasuke and others were all patting him on the back for another well played inning. Naruto smiled at his teammates and as he was turning back around his eyes seemed to catch Sakura's. Suddenly embarrassed for being caught staring, Sakura quickly looked away.

"…kura! Sakura! Hello! Did you hear me, Sakura?!" Ino yelled as she nudged Sakura's shoulder.

"Huh?" Sakura looked at her friends with a look of confusion.

"I said it looks like Sasuke is about to come up to bat." Ino replied. "You okay? You've been acting strange lately. Even for you."

"I-I'm fine. I've just got some stuff on my mind." Sakura answered as she looked back out on the field as Sasuke walked up to the plate. Sasuke's white and blue striped suit was immaculate and perfectly highlighted his fit form. He confidently swung the bat around as he readied himself over home plate before crouching into position.

Sakura heard several girls a few rows up squeal. She glanced to see they were both around her age. She didn't recognize them and assumed they were from the rival school. "Oh! There he is! Sasuke-kun from Konoha High! He's so cute!" One red-haired girl yelled.

"I know but I heard he has a girlfriend at his school!" Another girl said with a glum expression.

The red-headed girl groaned with an equal look of disappointment on her face. "Of course he does. The good ones are always taken."

Sakura looked back to Sasuke who, to her surprise, was actually looking right at her with a cocky smirk on his face. He tipped his cap to her before readying himself. _I guess he is one of the good ones right?_ Sakura thought to herself as Sasuke swung and missed on the first pitch_. I mean he's hot, a great athlete and has good grades. Not to mention that even though he can be a little cocky and aloof at times, he really is a nice person to people. He really is a good catch._

A second pitch whizzed by without Sasuke swinging at it. "Ball!" The umpire yelled.

Sakura tried to watch as Sasuke stood at the plate with a chance to take the lead now at the end of the game. But she found it impossible to pay attention. Her eyes kept glancing back into the dugout where Naruto had jumped to his feet and was yelling at Sasuke to knock the ball out of the park. That's the kind of guy he was, always encouraging his friends to be the best they could be. He was always there for you. Always supporting you. He was the best kind of friend you could have. "Rrrarrgh!" Sakura grumbled as she looked up at the clouds in the sky. _Why did I have to hear that crap?! Now I can't get him off my mind!_

A moment later Sakura heard the sound of a baseball cracking against wood. Many in the crowd roared, including her friends as everyone around her jumped to their feet. Sakura looked up to see the baseball soaring through the air and out of the park. With a smile on her face she rose to her feet, clapping as she saw Sasuke triumphantly trotting around the bases to the roar of the home fans.

Sasuke tipped his cap to the cheering crowd as he rounded towards home plate where he was mobbed by his teammates and congratulated by his coach. Sakura clapped and cheered half heartedly as everyone around her celebrated. Sasuke and Naruto gave each other a high five at home plate as they celebrated the win. "Come to think of it, Sasuke-kun is pretty good too." Tenten remarked. "I heard that scouts are looking at him too."

"Wouldn't it be great if both he and Naruto both became professional players?!" Ino said excitedly. "They could invite us to players' parties! There would be so many hot guys there I bet! What do you think Sakura? Sakura?"

**-Now-**

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" Sukura muttered as she turned from the window where she stared, lost in thought. Standing above her was a short, old woman with gray hair wrapped in a bun and a plain, sparkling white dress.

"I asked you if everything is okay." The woman asked with a smile. "You haven't touched your cake. It's really not like you. Is there something wrong with it?"

Sakura sighed before smiling. "Everything's fine Chiyo-sama. I guess I'm just not too hungry today."

"Hmm," Chiyo said as she rubbed her chin. "Have you seen Naruto-chan around lately? He used to come by often but he really doesn't come by much lately."

Sakura's smile seemed to fade slightly as Chiyo mentioned Naruto's name. "He's been a bit busy with school and baseball lately."  
"Oh ho!" Chiyo exclaimed with a smile. "I've actually heard that Naruto-chan is being scouted by some big clubs, right! How exciting!" Chiyo sat in the chair opposite Sakura. "I've wanted to go see him play but watching after this store is a full time job. And my husband can't be relied upon by himself. He's always falling asleep! I mean look at him." Chiyo and Sakura looked behind the counter at an old man with thick, grey eyebrows. He was sitting in a chair behind the counter with his head nodding to side. Every so often he'd snore a little as he fought to stay awake.

Chiyo laughed heartily as some of the customers looked at her wearily. A moment passed before she finally stopped laughing and saw the odd look on Sakura's face. It was as though she was trying her hardest to laugh when it was in reality it furthest thing from her mind.

Chiyo took a deep breath and looked at the young girl. "How's your parents?" She asked. "I haven't seen them lately."

"They're fine." Sakura replied. "Mom plans to come to this district to shop this weekend. I'm sure she will stop by. Dad's working a lot, like always."

"So everything's fine at home?" Chiyo asked. Sakura nodded. "Hmm. So then I can assume that this is all about a boy?"

Sakura turned bright red. "N-No way!" She exclaimed as she waved her hands nervously. "I told you I'm fine!"

"Fine my fat, wrinkled ass!" Chiyo responded with a chuckle. "I might be old but I'm still a woman. And there are only two things that would make a woman make a face like that. And that's family issues or men. And since your family is fine…"

Sakura slid her drink and cake to the side and buried her face in her hands on the table. "God!" she exclaimed. "Am I that obvious?!"

"Only to the trained eye, sweetie." She said proudly. "I raised two daughters and three female grandkids. Stuff like this doesn't get passed old Chiyo! So what's wrong? Did some guy turn you down?"

Sakura paused for a second before peaking through her fingers to see Chiyo's smiling face. "No…not…not exactly." She stammered. "I already have a boyfriend."

"You do?!" Chiyo said in shock. "How come you've never brought him here?!"

"He's not really a fan of sweets." Sakura replied as she moved her hands away. "Besides, this place really is my little secret. A place where I can kind of get away, you know? I only like to come here alone." Chiyo merely smiled and listened. "If I brought him here, then he'd know about this place and he might come here. I like this place to be…just for me. Does that make sense?"

Chiyo nodded. "Everyone needs their own special place. Some people like their homes or a nice garden. Your favorite place is my humble little coffee shop." The look of pride on Chiyo's face was unmistakable at that point. "But if you have a boyfriend, then what's the problem? Did you two fight? Breakup?"

"No!" Sakura yelled as she sat up. "We never fight! Everything's great! He's great! I mean, he can be a little hard to talk to at times. He's not very open when it comes to his feelings. But he does nice things for me. And he's really smart and he plays on the baseball team too. In fact, he has scouts looking at him too. And he's pretty good looking."

"So what's the problem?" Chiyo asked.

Sakura began to play with her fingers nervously. Her face had turned into a permanent hue of red. "Chiyo-sama, I can't stop thinking about him. Even though I have a boyfriend. Even though I've done everything I could to avoid him. I can't stop thinking about him."

"Ohhh. I see." Chiyo responded with a knowing nod. "There's someone else in the picture, right? A new boy? How do you feel about this new one?"

"Feel?" Sakura responded nervously. "I-I well…I…thought we were just friends. I mean, we have been forever right. But then I overheard him say these…things…about how he really felt about me. And since then…I…I…"

"Can't see him in the same light you used too?" Chiyo asked. Sakura nodded wildly as though Chiyo had hit the target of the problem. A small smile crept onto Chiyo's face. "Ahh! Young love! So wild and carefree and unpredictable. Your hearts are like oceans caught in a raging storm."

"I'm a terrible person aren't I?" Sakura asked glumly. "To be thinking about another guy when I already have a boyfriend is unforgivable. I'm horrible. I've tried to not think about it. I've tried to avoid him. But…I…"

Chiyo reached out and held Sakura's hand as she saw tears welling in the girls' eyes. "The heart wants what the heart wants. It doesn't always make sense. It's not always right. And no matter how much you refuse to give in, when it comes to love, it can't be denied."

"Wow." Sakura replied. "That was beautiful."

Chiyo laughed. "You like it?! I got it from All My Hearts! It's my favorite daytime drama!"

"Ugh! How lame." Sakura replied as she glared at the old woman.

Chiyo chuckled as she got to her feet. "Maybe so. But I do know this much, there's a reason why you never felt the need to bring your boyfriend here." Chiyo stretched. "Well, it was nice to give these old legs some rest. But I should get back to work." Chiyo sighed as she walked away. "These old bones are really starting to weigh heavily on me. Maybe it's time to really think about retirement." Chiyo paused a moment and looked back at Sakura with a wink and a devilish grin. "Come to think of it, there is one boy you come here with quite often isn't there?"

Sakura paused as though she didn't know what to say or think. And as Chiyo walked away, she couldn't help but smile.

**-Saturday May 28****th****-**

**-9:43PM-**

"…and he yelled help and ran!" Sasuke said as he laughed. "It was the funniest fucking thing I've ever seen!" Sasuke sat on the sofa in the living room of his parents' home. It was a plush, brown couch which was part of a set. The living room, like the rest of the house, was fashioned in post modern décor, with white or brown furnishings, white walls and recessed lighting. Behind the living room was a sliding glass door that led to the outdoor pool.

"I don't think it was that funny." Lee responded with a sullen look. "That snake scared the hell out of me!"

"Aw, it's okay baby." Tenten purred as she kissed Lee on the cheek which instantly made him smile.

"I hate camping." Lee uttered.

"I know you do baby." Tenten answered.

Sakura sat on the couch next to Sasuke as everyone laughed and spoke. Sasuke had invited everyone to his parents' home to celebrate their win. His parents were out of town and as usual, he decided to throw a party. Most of the team was there along with many other students and a few of his neighbors. Music was playing from his stereo system and everyone was drinking beers that they had all chipped in for. Sakura felt as if half the school was somehow in his house. Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and others were all drinking and celebrating around them. People were hanging out in the adjoining dining room and in the kitchen. There were even a few people talking around the pool in the back yard.

"Hey! Naruto!" Sasuke yelled across the room as Naruto made his way through the mass of people on his way to the kitchen. "Come here! You gotta hear this joke!"

"Yeah! Yeah! I'm coming!" Naruto shouted over the din as he changed direction and headed towards them.

Sakura felt as if her heart stopped when she heard Sasuke call out for Naruto. She knew he had come here with everyone else. But she also knew that Naruto and the rest of the team preferred to hang out in the backyard by the pool whenever Sasuke threw a party. Which is exactly why Sakura chose to hang out in the living room instead. She hoped she could avoid him for most of the night. Meanwhile she and her girlfriends could hang out inside. But Sasuke threw a wrench in her plan when he came in looking for her and then sat next to her on the couch. And as is the case, many of the guys came in and hung around. Sasuke was like a king holding court as everyone loved to be around him. It was only a matter of time before Naruto came inside too.

From where she sat, Sakura couldn't see him right away. But when she heard his voice above the sounds of laughter and music she felt that not only her heart had stopped, but she couldn't breathe. And as he appeared through the crowd that gathered around them, and she saw his smiling face, her heart began to race. It suddenly felt as if the entire world was melting away and it was just him standing there. _Am I blushing?_ She thought. _Shit!_ _I bet I'm blushing._

Naruto sported his trademark smile as he joined the small group of friends. He held a blue plastic cup containing his half finished beer. "What's up?" He asked. Sakura took a quick glance up at his face but quickly looked away as though she were staring into the face of the sun. _Damn it!_ A swell of guilt, anger and frustration seemed to well up in her as she saw him laughing with Sasuke. She felt cold and hot at the same time. It was as if the whole world was collapsing around her.

Naruto's eyes met hers' and she felt a sudden flutter. She looked to Sasuke who remained seated next to her, recounting the joke to everyone's amusement. She knew in that moment she had to get out. Every moment seemed like she was pushing a knife deeper into the man she was supposed to be in love with. Every laugh sounded bitter. She had to get out.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he looked at her. His smile began to fade and was replaced with concern.

Sakura suddenly rose to her feet. "Excuse me." She said as politely as she could as she stepped by everyone as quickly as she could.

"Something wrong?" Sasuke asked. From the worried expression on his face, Sakura could tell that she must have a panicked look on her face.

"N-Nothing," She stammered. She looked to Naruto who kept his gaze fixed upon her, which only made it worse. She forced herself to look away. "I'm fine. I just…need a-another drink." Sakura put her empty cup down and quickly made her way through the crowd.

_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What's wrong with me?! Why can't I just act normal around him, anymore?! Just because he likes me? Fuck!_ Sakura made her way to the kitchen where Hinata, Sai, Tenten and Lee were all hanging around, laughing and speaking merrily.

"Are you alright Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked as she walked up. Her face a looked a bit flushed and her words were slightly slurred.

_You never were good at holding your liquor. _Sakura thought as she looked at her friend. Sakura took a deep breath as she tried to calm down. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said with a half hearted smile. "I'm just not feeling this party. I'm going to head home."

"You want me to come with you?" Hinata asked.

_Why couldn't have said he was in love with you?!_ Sakura thought as she looked at Hinata's face. _You're pretty! You're smart! Why not you?!_ Sakura glanced over Hinata's shoulder and saw Sai. He had an slightly anxious look on his face. _He must be looking to make his move tonight, huh?_

"Nah! Stay with Sai and have fun." Sakura replied with the best smile she could muster. "I'll be fine. I don't live far from here anyway." Sakura waved as she quickly snuck out the kitchen exit into the backyard where a few more people were lounging around, sipping from their cups and chatting. Without making eye contact with anyone, Sakura walked through the backyard and around the side of the house until she reached the front. She was walking down the driveway when she heard someone calling her name. Looking back she saw Ino running towards her.

"Where are you going?!" Ino yelled. "Sasuke was looking for you. You okay?"

"Argh!" Sakura yelled. "If one more person asks me if I'm okay I'm going to freak out!"

"Okay just hold on a sec." Ino said as she grabbed her friend by the arm. "What the hell is going on with you? You've been acting strange for a couple weeks now."

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me it's nothing. It's clearly something."

"I said it's nothing!"  
Ino took a deep exasperated breath. "Okay. Well if it's nothing then it's okay if I start to speak EVEN LOUDER SO EVERYONE INSIDE CAN HEAR ME! MAYBE I SHOULD CAUSE A SCENE SO EVERYONE CAN COME OUTSIDE!"

Sakura quickly put her hand over Ino's mouth to muffle her. "Alright, alright. Just shut the fuck up okay?" Ino nodded. Sakura moved her hand away and then pulled her friend below the shade of a low hanging tree. She quickly looked around to make sure no one was around. "Okay listen, what I'm about to tell you stays between us."

"Of course." Ino said with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm serious Ino! Everyone knows you're the biggest gossip in school."

"What?! I am not!"

Sakura folded her arms and looked at her friend from head tot toe. "Oh really?" She asked condescendingly. "Weren't you the one who told everyone that Ayame's boyfriend was cheating on her? Or how about when Hinata told us that her bra size had gone up again. Somehow everyone knew the next day."

"Oh come on! Like that was going to stay a secret! They're the size of my head!"

"Ino!" Sakura yelled.

"Fine! I'm a blabbermouth bitch, okay?! But you have my word! I won't say anything! Now would you come on!"

Sakura took a deep breath as she once again looked around. "Okay, well…what if I told you that lately I've been having feelings?"

"Feelings?" Ino asked. "Y-You don't mean down there do you?" Ino gestured to Sakura's crotch. "Cuz I'm no gyno."

"No, you dumb slut!" Sakura yelled. "I meant emotional feelings." Sakura said. "For a guy."

"Feelings…like love?"

Sakura turned bright red and placed her hand back on Ino's mouth. "N-No! N-Not love! More like…like…um…stirrings!"

"Ew!" Ino remarked as she moved Sakura's hand.

"Not like that, you perv." Sakura yelled, as she turned an even deeper shade of red. "Can you be serious?"

"Alright." Ino replied as she looked back at the house where she could see her friends partying through the windows. "But I don't see the problem. You have feelings for Sasuke-kun. So what? He's your boyfriend isn't he? You don't need to rub it in that you beat me to him, ya know."

"I…didn't say I was having these feelings for Sasuke." Sakura replied.

Slowly Ino began to turn to face her friend. As she did, her eyes slowly widened and her mouth opened until her jaw fell slack. "What?"

"I know! I know! I'm horrible!" Sakura said as she looked away from her friends' stunned face. "I've tried to ignore it! I've tried avoiding this guy. But he's all I can think about!"

"Who is it?"

Sakura's eyes grew wide. "Nope! I won't say!"

"Sakura…"

"No way!" Sakura yelled as she waved her arms in protest.

"It's not Neji is it?" Ino asked with a sudden, cold glare.

"What?! No!"

"Good. Because he's my target and I'll be damned if I let you take him from me too!"

"If you're not going to be serious then I'm out of here!"

Ino sighed. "Okay, fine. But when did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago. I heard something that shouldn't have. I guess you could call it a confession. Ever since then, it's all I can think about. He's…all I can think about."

"So what are you going to do?" Ino asked.

"I don't know." Sakura said as she leaned against the tree. "I thought that if I just put some distance between us I'd get over it. I could just forget the whole thing and just go back to how things are normally. But I feel like the more I try to ignore him the more I think about him. His eyes. His smile."

"Whoa!" Ino remarked as she leaned in close with a wry smile "I didn't think anyone could turn that shade of red."

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled as she looked away.

Ino walked up to Sakura and placed her hands on the shoulders of her friend. "Sakura, do you love Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes." Sakura replied with tears welling in her eyes. "He's a wonderful guy!

"And this other guy, do you love him?"

Sakura paused for a moment. "I…I don't know."

"Well," Ino continued. "I guess the real question to ask is do you love this guy more that Sasuke-kun." Sakura paused as she considered Ino's words. "Well, do you?"

Sakura paused as she considered the question. Once again she felt like she couldn't breathe. She knew she had to answer. But she couldn't. Her body felt frozen and her mind suddenly overwhelmed by thoughts and memories. "I-I…" She stuttered as she tried to force the words to come out.

"Hey! There you guys are!"

Both girls looked back to see Naruto walking up. "You okay Sakura-chan? You didn't look too well back there. I was getting a little worried when you took off like that."

"Oh! We're fine." Ino said with a smile. When she looked at Sakura, she was confused by how pale her complexion suddenly seemed and her eyes were wide like a deer in headlights as she stared at Naruto. "Isn't that right Sakura?"

Without a word Sakura turned from them and hurriedly made her way down the driveway. "Hey!" Naruto yelled. "Hey! Sakura-chan! Where are you..?!"

"Sakura!" Ino yelled after her friend who was now almost running as she turned the corner and disappeared out of view.

"What he hell was that all about?" Naruto asked.

"Sorry, Naruto." Ino replied with a smile. "She wasn't feeling too well and just wanted to go home. Could you tell Sasuke-kun for her?"

Naruto sighed as he continued to look down towards the now empty driveway. "Yeah, I guess." Ino walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, signaling that they should head back inside. Naruto took the lead as they walked towards the door. "She's been acting strange lately though, don't you think?"

"Hmm," Ino responded, clearly lost in thought. "I can't say I've noticed anything."

"Well I have." Naruto answered as they reached the door. "I mean it feels like she's always thinking about something. It's like she's not even paying attention to anything. She and I used to talk all the time, you know. But between you and me, it feels like she's been avoiding me for a while now."

Ino suddenly came to a complete stop just before she reached the door. Her eyes widened as her mouth slowly fell open. She quickly looked back down the driveway before looking to Naruto who was opening the door. "Hey, Naruto!"

"Yeah?"

"How long do you think Sakura's been avoiding you? A couple weeks?"

Naruto nodded. "Feels like it. Why? You know what's going on? Did I do something?"

Ino forced herself to smile. "No. I…really think it's just your imagination." Naruto nodded and walked back into the living room leaving a bewildered Ino alone. Ino sighed heavily as she considered the implications of what she believed to have discovered. "Oh shit." She muttered to herself.

**-End of Chapter One-**


	2. Chapter 2

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. This...I did."

"What's it supposed to mean?" Naruto asked.

"It means, becareful what you wish for," Shikamaru answered. "You just might get it."

**Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh: Curse of the Namikaze**

Returns Sunday, August 7th

* * *

**WELCOME**

Welcome back to chapter two of this short story. I really hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always I like to state that I do not own Naruto.

**THANK YOU**

A special thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter: happy everyday life; PrinceOfTennisHimeChan; nikki1314; LovelySheree; SuperKirschbluete; The FlashPirates; Maria; Konoha's Crimson Fox; narp73; Kodav; sasori521 & Sensuto.

**RESPONSES**

**happy everyday life** - Thank you. Did things work out for you in your situation? Lol!

**PrinceOfTennisHimeChan** - Thank you so much!

**nikki1314** - Thank you

**LovelySheree** - "What da poooop?!" LMAO! I don't think I've written anything that got that reaction. Thanks for reading.

**SuperKirschbluete** - Thank you so much for enjoying the story so far.

**The Flash Pirates** - Well, here's your next fix of word crack. Lol! That made no sense. Seven Sins will return shortly. I think you'll find some of the twists in that story very interesting.

**Maria** - Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

**Konoha's Crimson Fox** - Yeah. I've decided to toy around with a few things. I hope you enjoy this take on the characters.

**narp73** - Actually, Sasuke's position will never be mentioned. But I'd think he'd be a shortstop. He feels like a shortstop. Thank you for reading and I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Kodav** - Yeah, I had to toy a little with Sasuke's character for it to fit in this story. And like you said, with his parents alive, Sasuke wouldn't be so emo. Thank you for reading.

**sasori521** - Thank you so much my friend.

**Sensuto** - Thank you

**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**

Ok, so here is chapter two in this three part story. Hope you enjoy and **please** remember to leave a little **review**. Thanks!

* * *

**-Chapter Two-**

Sakura took a sip of her coffee that was now closing in on room temperature. No matter how much she drank her throat felt dry and her anxiety grew with every passing minute. Part of her was happy he was running late. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't show up at all. Maybe he would disappear and she could avoid this all together. The moment the thought entered her mind, she banished it back to the dark recessed from whence it came and hated herself for even thinking it. The idea of him disappearing was not something she could accept. He was one of her best friends. He was also someone who knew her better than most. They were close. Very close. She wanted him in her life. She needed him. It was a realization that hit her like a truck. It also reminded her of the night when she knew things would never be the same again. Because she herself had changed.

**-Saturday June 14****th****-**

**-8:14PM-**

"C'mon baby." Sasuke purred in his most seductive voice in between nibbling on Sakura's neck and ear. The two had spent the last few hours with Ino and Neji on a double date.

Sakura had sat through another action movie that she couldn't stand while her boyfriend happily watched every explosion and bullet fired with unbridled glee. It was the only time, outside of being on the field, or drunkenly partying with friends, where she ever saw Sasuke express any real tangible emotion. It was a fact that never seemed to bother her before recently.

While sitting in the half full theatre she would randomly glance over at her friend Ino, whose face at some point, had seemingly fused onto Neji's, as the two slobbered away, completely ignoring the action on the screen. The sounds of their heavy breathing fought for dominance over the sounds of screams and gunfire. Sakura couldn't help but sigh in annoyance.

Several times since the party weeks ago, Ino had tried to continue the conversation from that night. But Sakura dodged her attempts each time. Realizing it was fruitless to push the subject, Ino instead decided to help Sakura with her relationship with Sasuke.

She suggested that they both go on a double date. She'd be her wingman and help reignite the spark between them. Desperate to fix things, Sakura said yes. But instead of getting the help she needed, Sakura found herself subjected to being the witness to Ino and Neji making out like they were in some porn video.

The few times, Sasuke could tear his eyes off the screen he would look to the couple beside them and then stroke Sakura's leg lightly which for some reason made her abnormally anxious. And each time he tried to lean in for a kiss, she would suddenly find herself pulling back and eating popcorn or needing a sip of her soda.

Now, several hours later and after leaving Ino and Neji to finish their date, Sakura found herself alone with Sasuke in her room while her parents were out for the evening. As Sasuke leaned in and kissed her deeply, he expertly began to unbutton her top. The house was dark and quiet and all Sakura could hear was the sounds of their kissing and her own heartbeat that seemed to be beating faster than normal.

This wasn't the first time she'd found herself in this position with Sasuke. They'd been dating for nearly six months already, and it had been nearly three since she allowed him to take her virginity. She was nervous that night too. But tonight, it felt different, almost dirty to have him on top of her, as he undid her bra. "W-Wait Sasuke." She muttered lowly as she pulled her lips from his. Sasuke continued to kiss her forcefully as he undid her bra and massaged her now bare breast. "N-No. Stop, Sasuke." She said louder as she tried to push him off. Still Sasuke continued undeterred as he reached for her pants. "Sasuke, no!" Sakura yelled as she pushed him back.

"W-What the hell?!" Sasuke yelled, bewildered. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just not in the mood okay." Sakura replied as she threw her shirt back on.

"Not in the mood?" Sasuke asked. "Tch! It's been three weeks! What the hell. Are you on your..?"

"No!" Sakura yelled as she scooted away from him. "I-I'm just not feeling it tonight. I've got a lot on my mind."

Sasuke chuckled. "A lot on your mind?"

Picking up on his sarcasm Sakura, glared at him. "Yeah, believe it or not I have some stuff going in on. I got a lot of shit to deal with, okay! I'm stressed out!"

"Oh please!" Sasuke replied. "You think it's easy having to juggle being the best player on the team and keeping an A average? You don't know anything about stress."

"Wow." Sakura answered. "Why am I not surprised that this conversation automatically reverted to you?"

"What the hell do you want from me?!" Sasuke replied as he threw his shirt back on.

"I don't know. How about a conversation that doesn't revolve around your life? How about a moment in your life where you actually ask me how I'm doing?"

"How you're doing?" Sasuke asked as he cocked his head to the side. "Okay Sakura, how are you? How's your perfect parents? How's this perfect little fucking house of yours?! And your stupid, perfect little dog?! How are your perfect little friends that love to hang out and giggle like little idiots over every damned thing, because you don't have to worry about your grades, while I'm busting my ass off because my parents might disown me if ever bring home a B or if I don't perform well on the field, while still finding the time to put a fucking smile on your face! So please Sakura, tell me what is so wrong with your perfect fucking life?!"

Sakura merely glared at Sasuke for a moment before getting to her feet. "Get out." She said surprisingly calm.

All of Sasuke's anger seemed to drain away as he looked at her with remorse. "Look, Sakura I'm sorry."

"Get out asshole!" Sakura yelled as she pushed him back. "Get the fuck out!"

Realizing that he was not going to get anywhere, Sasuke quickly put on his sneakers and walked out of her room with Sakura behind him. The pair walked downstairs down the hallway to the front door in tense silence. Sasuke opened the door and walked out. As he walked through the door he turned to face Sakura who had a look of anger tinged with grief. "Babe, I'm sorry. I've just been under a ton of stress lately. I was just hoping you could help me out with that."

"Sure, I can still help." Sakura replied. "You don't have to try so hard to be the best on the team anymore Sasuke. Because Naruto is. Hope that helps." Sakura then slammed the door. She immediately ran upstairs to her room and threw herself into her sheets. Surrounded by the stuffed animals she kept on her bed, remnants of a more innocent time in her life, Sakura cried. She cried for hating Sasuke. And cried for how she'd treated him.

Time passed, she wasn't sure how much, when she heard the front door open followed by the merry sounds of her parents returning home from their date night. She heard her father call up to her and a sudden urge to be alone swelled up in her. _I can't deal with them now._ She thought. The questions they'd ask about her tear streaked face. Sakura quickly threw on her sneakers, grabbed a light jacket and flew out of her room.

Just then, her mother was walking up the stairs as Sakura walked down so fast she was almost running. "Sakura." Her mother said with a smile which quickly faded once she caught a glimpse of the overwhelming grief etched in her daughters face. "Baby, what's wrong?" She asked as she tried to grab her arm. But Sakura was moving too fast and she was able to get by her and fly towards the door. "Sakura! Get back here!" Her mother yelled as she turned to give chase.

Sakura threw her jacket on as she reached the exit. She quickly opened the door and ran down the steps as her mother yelled behind her. Moments later she was gone, melding into the darkness. "Sakura!" Mebuki yelled into the street as she looked around in vain for her daughter. Her face was flushed with anger and confusion along with the lingering effects of the liquor she'd consumed.

"What's going on?" Kizashi asked calmly as walked up behind his wife while nonchalantly eating grapes.

"I'll tell you what's going on! My child has lost her damned mind, that's what!"

Kizashi chuckled. "Calm down Mebuki, you're acting crazy."

"I'm not crazy!" Mebuki fumed. "We should have had a boy! Then I wouldn't have to deal with this bullshit!" Mebuki then looked back into the streets. "You should have been a boy! We wouldn't be worrying right now!"

Kizashi chuckled some more. "You're drunk." Mebuki immediately punched him in the arm. "Ow! What was that for?!" He asked as he rubbed his arm.

"That's for making me have a girl who stresses me!"

"You kinda had something to do with that too, ya know!"

"Shut up!" Mebuki replied before once again looking out into the street. "You should have been a boy!" She raged before marching back inside.

Kizashi looked at his wife and then back out into night streets. "Does this mean we're not going to have sex tonight?" He asked before closing the door behind him.

"Shut up!"

Sakura walked the streets of her suburban neighborhood lost in thought for nearly an hour. She eventually dipped her hand into her back pocket and pulled out her cell. There were several missed calls. Three were from Sasuke and two from her parents. Sakura sighed. It was just after eleven. Going over to Ino's was not an option at this point.

Sakura looked up from her phone and was surprised to see her neighborhood park across the street. Which meant she'd already walked at least a mile while in her daze. _Oh well._ She thought as she jogged across the street and walked into the park. For a while she just walked around until she heard a strange cracking sound coming from the distance. The sound grew louder as she walked closer and would happen every few moments. As Sakura drew closer she recognized the sound. She'd been to enough baseball games to know the sound of a bat striking a ball anywhere.

_ Who the hell would be playing this late?_ She wondered as she walked closer. There was the bright glow of lights emanating over the canopy of trees as she stepped off the path and walked through the small thicket.

Sakura paused as she made her way through and came to a large open space. It was a baseball field that was open for public use. The field was in desperate need of maintenance with overgrown grass and the infield dirt was littered with uneven mounds that needed smoothening, but it was still good enough to use. What surprised her was the sole person using it. He was standing at home plate, under a single, bright florescent light shining down from high above him. Next to him was a large canvass bag which contained what Sakura assumed were baseballs. Which was confirmed when he reached in and pulled one out. He then threw it up in the air and hit the ball with such force it traveled high into the sky before vanishing into the night.

Sakura saw his rippling muscles as he tensed to hit another ball; the laser like focus as his blue eyes fixated on the ball as though it were the sole object in all existence and is thick, blonde hair that waved through the air as he swung his bat. "Of course." She muttered to herself in exasperation as her familiar friend continued his solitary training. He hit another ball and then another. His single minded focus never swayed or dissipated even the tiniest bit.

Sakura sighed after watching him for a few minutes. _I better get out of here._ She thought as she turned to leave. _I definitely don't need this shit right now._

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan is that you over there?!"

Sakura froze in her tracks. She caught her breath as he called out for her. _Damn it! Did he see me?_ She had to will herself to peek behind her and she saw Naruto straining to see into the distance. Despite the fact that she was partially obscured by the shadows half way across the field, he seemed to be staring right at her. _What do I do?_ She thought as every urge in her body told her to run.

"I know that's you over there Sakura-chan! I don't think there are that many girls with pink hair around here!"

_Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Why the hell did he of all people have to be here!_ Sakura prepared to sprint away as fast as she could. _This is the last thing I need!_

"You going to run away from me again?! Don't worry, I'm getting used to you avoiding me!"

Sakura paused. Those words seemed to strike her down to the very core of her soul. Despite the fact that Naruto sounded so chipper, even laughing a bit as he said them, she could sense a tinge of biting sadness in his voice. Sakura turned and faced Naruto who stood rooted by home plate, staring in her direction. "H-Hey." Sakura uttered as she walked towards him, with the brightest smile she could muster. Her voice sounded surprisingly hoarse. "Hey Naruto! Sorry, I didn't think that was you!"

"Yo!" Naruto said as he waited for her to get closer. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Sakura replied as she walked up to him. She looked around at the bag of half empty baseballs and the two bats lying haphazardly at Naruto's feet. "I know you love training, but isn't this a bit much? Do you have any idea how late it is?"

"Hmm," Naruto said as he stroked his chin. "It's only about ten, right?"

"Try almost midnight."

"What?!" Naruto yelled in shock as he reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. The look of fear was illuminated by the light of his phone has he confirmed the time. "Shit! Mom is gonna kill me!" He said as he put his phone away. "I just got so lost in my training that I didn't know what time it was! I'm friendly with the guys who work in the park so they let me stay here late so long as I shut off the lights. Looks like time got away from me again."

Naruto suddenly laughed in his usual, deep throated way as he threw his hands behind his head. It was if he hadn't a care in the world. It was that ability to never let stress get to him that Sakura loved about him. _Love?_ Sakura's heart suddenly felt like it was pounding so hard it would burst. _Love?_ She thought.

"Well, I might as well take my time." Naruto continued as he gathered everything up. "No point in rushing home to get my ass kicked by my mom. Come here for a sec." Naruto waved at Sakura to follow him to the nearby bleachers. He walked over and motioned for her to sit. After she did, he followed suit. He then pulled a black duffle bag that was sitting nearby between his feet and dug inside, pulling out two bottles of water. "Want one?"

Sakura took the bottle gratefully. After a long drink she looked around. "You know, if you spent a little less time training you might have time to study and finish your homework assignments on time. Your brain is a muscle too, you know."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah." He said before once again falling quiet.

_ Damn this is awkward._ Sakura thought as the pair sat in silence.

"So what are you doing out here this late?" Naruto asked.

"Pft! My parents were getting on my nerves and I just wanted to take a walk. No big deal."

Naruto stopped drinking his water and stared directly at Sakura. She noticed and quickly looked away. He smiled. "You're such a bad liar. I can always tell when you're full of shit. You had a fight with Sasuke again, didn't you?"

"What?!" Sakura yelled as she jumped to her feet. "How the hell did you..?!" Sakura paused as she realized how she was acting. She composed herself and returned to her seat. "I mean, what makes you think that?"

Naruto cocked his head with a smug smirk on his face. "Well, first off I know that you and Sasuke had a double date with Neji and Ino tonight."

"How?"

"Ino told me, yesterday." Naruto paused and looked up at the stars. "But she was acting kind of weird when she did. It was almost like she was trying to tease me. Asking me what I thought about it? It was really strange."

_ Damn that Ino!_ Sakura thought as she looked away from Naruto. Her fist was clenched as a large vein in her forehead throbbed. _Even after that bitch confronted me about Naruto after the party and I admitted it I begged her to help me! She was the one who came up with the plan to keep avoiding Naruto and to go on this date! She said she would be there to help me get my relationship with Sasuke-kun back on track! And what does she do?! That gossipy slut tells the one person I didn't want to know about the date about it?! And then spends the whole date sucking face with that pretty boy! I'll kill that bitch when I see her!_  
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"H-Huh?" Sakura responded as she turned around with a smile.

"I asked if you know what that's about." Naruto asked.

"Ah! You know Ino! She's just a gossip who loves to tease people when she knows something others don't! Anyway, even if you knew we went out, how do you know Sasuke-kun and I fought?"

"You have that look on your face."

"Look? What look?"

"That one." Naruto said with a smile as he pointed at her. "You can try to put that fake smile on, all you want. But even though you're lips have a smile on it, the rest of your face looks like someone jammed a gerbil up your ass. You always look like that after you fight with him or your parents but you don't want people to know about it."

"Tch!" Sakura exclaimed as she folded her arms and looked away.

"Plus when you lie you do that thing with your nose."

"I do not!" Sakua yelled as she faced Naruto, her face a deep red.

"Yeah you do!" Naruto replied, laughing hysterically "It starts to twitch! It's a dead give away."

"Whatever!" Sakura replied as she looked away with her arms folded, visibly annoyed and embarrassed.

A moment passed while Naruto composed himself. "Ok, so what happened? What did you guys fight about now?"

Sakura looked at Naruto for moment then turned her gaze up to the stars. "Honestly, I don't really know. I…probably just overreacted about something. I can be a real pain to deal with."

"Don't I know it?" Naruto responded sarcastically.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled as she punched his arm playfully. "You don't have to agree so readily!"

Naruto chuckled. "Whatever. So what did you fight about?"

Sakura glanced at Naruto before looking back at the stars. "Girl stuff I guess." Once again there was an awkward silence between the two. _Damn._ She thought. _It's never been this hard to talk to Naruto before. Things feel so…strange now. _

"Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto asked as he looked at Sakura directly, which made her nervous. "You've been acting really weird lately. I mean, even for you. Everything okay?"

"Just got a lot on my mind I guess." Sakura replied. "We're seniors now. So thinking about my future, what university I'm going to go too and that kinda stuff, has been on my mind."

"You sure that's all?" Naruto asked. Sakura glanced at him and saw the dubious look on his face. It was clear to her that he wasn't fully buying her excuse.

"Can I ask you a question Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Sure."

"How come you've never had a girlfriend?"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked at her quizzically with his eyebrows raised. "Since when have you ever been interested in my love life?"

"I-I'm not!" Sakura fired back. "J-Just answer the damned question!"

"Okay. Okay." Naruto replied with a smile while waving her off. "I hate when you get all emotional like that." He looked up at the stars for a while as he thought about the answer. "Well, I do go on dates you know. I was on one last Friday actually."

"W-What?!" Sakura yelled in shock. Her heart began beating hard once again. "With who?!"

"She's a junior from our school. Amaru. You know her right?"

Sakura forced a smile on her face. "Sure." _Didn't know she was such a slut though!_ She thought.

"It was fun." Naruto said. "I might ask her out again."

"How come you didn't tell me?" Sakura asked.

"Well, you were kind of not around for the last few weeks remember. What was up with that by the way?"

"Oh no! Don't go changing the subject! You still haven't told me why you've never had a steady girlfriend. I mean I know there are a bunch of girls interested in you."

Naruto smiled in his usual goofy way whenever she asked him a question he clearly didn't want to answer and scratched the back of his head. _He always acts like that when he's nervous_, Sakura thought.

Naruto calmed down when he noticed how serious Sakura was as she stared at him intently. It was like the next words he was about to say was all that mattered in the world to her. He quickly looked back up at the stars. "All the girls I've been around are nice. But I don't know, I guess…I guess I'm just…waiting."

Sakura cocked her head as she looked at him. "Waiting for what?"

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at her with the most sincere smile. "For the one that makes my heart stop."

Sakura's eyes widened and she immediately looked down to her feet. She couldn't let Naruto see her face anymore than she could bear to look at his now. Once again there was an uneasy silence between them. Sakura glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Naruto drinking his water as he looked out at the quiet field. There was a slight hint of sadness to his expression. "You know, even if you found that one, there's no guarantee that she'd love you back." Her voice was trembling a little. She prayed that he wouldn't notice.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah. That's true."

"Then how…um…how would you convince that person to love you?"

"You serious?" Naruto asked.

"Yes!" Sakura replied as she finally locked eyes with Naruto. "You're a clumsy idiot you know! As your best female friend it's my job to make sure you know how to talk to women!"

Naruto laughed as he shook his head. You're serious about this, aren't you?" He glanced at the stars as though he was gathering his thoughts. "What would I say?" He then looked back at Sakura who seemed to anxiously await his response. "I guess I'd say, that I would cherish every second we'd have together. Every happy moment. Every sad one. Even every fight. Because it would be a moment we made together. I would tell her that I can't promise that you won't be mad at me sometimes. All I can promise is that I'll always be there until you smile. Because seeing you smile makes everything else worth it. I'll always ask you about you're day, because hearing your voice makes mine. I'll dry your eyes when you're sad, hug you when you're scared, laugh with you when you're happy and be your strength when you're weak."

Naruto cleared his throat and tore his gaze from Sakura's. "Well, I'd say something like that I guess. I don't know. I'm not really good with that kind of emotional, touchy-feely crap." He said with a smile before finishing off his water.

Sakura nodded several times as she looked down at her hands that rested on her lap. They were shaking as she played with her fingers. "Yep. I'm convinced. Saying something like that could really convince a girl."

Naruto laughed. "You think so?" Sakura merely nodded as she willed herself not to cry. "Anyway, Sakura-chan. We should get going. It's late." Naruto quickly packed his gear up as Sakura remained sitting, lost in thought. A few moments passed before she saw his shadow, looming over her. Looking up, she saw him smiling and illuminated be the light of the moon. "Let's get going. I need to get you home." His hand was out for her.

Sakura grabbed his hand and got to her feet. "You don't need to walk me home Naruto. I'll be fine. Besides you live in the opposite direction."

"No way!" Naruto protested. "There's no way I'd let you walk these streets in the middle of the night! It's stupid enough that you were walking alone in the park as it is!"  
"These streets?' Sakura giggled. "We live in the suburbs. The only crime that happens around here is when someone forgets to clean up after their dog."

"Nevertheless…" Naruto said as he puffed out his chest and pointed his chin high. "…it is my duty as a man to see you home safely!"

Seeing his over exaggerated reaction made her laugh along with Naruto. "Fine." She said. "But don't blame me when you get home at two in the mourning."

The pair walked out of the park in relative silence, only talking about things at school here and there. As they exited the park Sakura saw her fathers' car pull up. "There you are!" He said as he hopped out calmly. "You're mother sent me out to look for you. You really pissed her off, you know."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sakura answered.

"Everything okay?" Kizashi asked.

"Yup."

"Good night Haruno-san." Naruto said with a bow.

"Ah! Naruto-kun, what are you doing out so late?" Kizashi asked.

"I was out here training when I ran into Sakura-chan." Naruto replied. "I was about to escort her home. But since you're here I should get going. Good night."

"Wait, Naruto." Sakura said. "My dad could drop you off!"

"It's cool." Naruto replied with a smile. "It's not far."

"Are you sure?" Kizashi asked. "It wouldn't be a problem."

"It's okay sir." Naruto answered. "I'll be fine."

"Thanks Naruto-kun." Kizashi answered. "Tell your father give me a call. We need to get together for golf again."

"I will." Naruto replied before looking to Sakura. "Hey Sakura." He whispered so only she could hear. "Don't be too mad with Sasuke, okay. He can be an ass sometimes but I know he cares about you." Sakura merely nodded. "Well, I'm off!"

"Naruto." Sakura called. He stopped when he heard her call him and turned to face her. "Promise me something. When you meet that girl who makes your heart stop. Make sure you tell her what you told me, okay."

Naruto tried to smile. But he couldn't hide the melancholy in his eyes. "No worries." He said. "I will."

Sakura shook her head. "You're lying. You never will."

"Why would you say that?" Naruto asked. Sakura merely grinned turned and walked away joining her father who was waiting by the car.

Kizashi opened the passenger side door and as she was about to get in when he stopped her. "Just tell me one thing. You're not…pregnant are you?"

"What?!" Sakura yelled in disbelief and horror. "No way!"

"Whew!" Kizashi exclaimed gratefully as she got in the car and he closed the door. "Thank god! I'm way to drunk right now to have to go kick that kids' ass! Plus that Sasuke guy works out. Honestly, I'm not sure I could take him."

"Dad!" Sakura yelled in embarrassment.

Kizashi jumped in the car and pulled off. For a short while there was silence between them as Kizashi drove. Every so often he would take furtive glances at his daughter who was leaning on her hand and staring out the window. A few more minutes passed before Kizashi spoke up. "Ino's not pregnant is she?"

"Dad! Oh my god!" Sakura yelled in horror. "No one's pregnant!"

"Okay. Okay." Kizashi replied with an awkward smile.

**-Now-**

Sakura stared at her now half eaten cake as she thought of that last time she'd spoken to Naruto which was already two weeks ago. The emotions she knew she was starting to feel for him sent her into a deeper panic. Desperate to try and get past this, her only choice was to try even harder to avoid him. Every time he tried to talk to her she would come up with some excuse as to why she had to leave. Whenever her friends went somewhere she knew he would be, she would always come up with a reason why she needed to go home.

Meanwhile it felt as though her relationship with Sasuke was only getting worse. Her patience seemed to be getting shorter and little things he did, that never seemed to bother her before, angered her easily. The pair began to bicker constantly usually ending with Sasuke walking away and her feeling terrible for her part in it.

It was only recently, after she came to the realization that this was something she could no longer ignore, did she find the courage to do what she knew in her heart was the right decision. Just then she heard tapping on the window next to her. Startled out of her thoughts, Sakura jumped back slightly as she looked up to see Naruto smiling on the other side of the glass. He waved happily while sporting his bright, trademark smile before quickly walking into the café.

"Hey there Sakura-chan!" He said excitedly. "I'll be there in a sec." He then immediately made a beeline directly to the counter where Chiyo stood and greeted her. "Hey Granny, I'd like…" Before he could finish, Chiyo placed a slice of chocolate cake with vanilla icing and cup of his favorite flavored coffee on the counter. "Eh! How did you..?! Are you some kind of psychic or something?"

Chiyo chuckled and glanced over at Sakura and gave her a quick wink. "You could say that." She said.

Naruto smiled as he handed the old woman several bills and then gathered his food. Sakura watched him intently as he came over and placed his food down on the table and, as he always did, he grabbed the chair and spun it around so that back of the chair was facing forward as he sat. "Hey Sakura-chan." He said happily as he immediately took a bite, savoring it. "How you been? I know you've been pretty busy lately. Thanks for inviting me down here. It's been a while since we both hung out here."

"No problem." Sakura replied with a nervous smile. _I should just do it. Yeah! No need to drag this out girl. It's like a Band-Aid. Just pull it off in one go!_ Sakura cleared her throat as she kept ringing her hands under the table. _Calm down. Just talk to him. He'll understand. _Nervously, she took up her cup of coffee that was now cold and took a sip.

"I already know why you called me down here Sakura-chan." Naruto said, breaking the silence which caused Sakura to nearly spit up the little bit of liquid she had in her mouth. "Whoa." Naruto uttered with surprise.

"Y-You do?!" Sakura asked as she coughed.

"Yeah. This is about Sasuke, right? He told me yesterday."

"Yesterday? W-What did he say?"

"Well, Sasuke was talking to Lee and Choji when I showed up. He was really hostile with me for some reason. When I asked what was wrong, he just…told me to find you. I tried looking for you but you'd already left."

"Hmm." Sakura said.

"So what's the deal?" Naruto asked.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before looking into Naruto's eyes as he stared back her with a plastic fork hanging loosely out the corner of his mouth. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun and I broke up."

"What?!" Naruto yelled in shock as the fork went flying out of his mouth and bounced on the table. He was so loud that all of the patrons in the café glanced over at them. "What do you mean?! Why?! When?!"

"Would you quiet down?" Sakura said in a hushed tone as she looked around. "You're embarrassing me."

"Yeah. Yeah." Naruto replied in a normal tone. "So when did you..?"

Sakura sighed. "Two days ago. No one knows yet."

"Two days ago?" Naruto was bewildered. "But I don't understand. You've had a crush on him since freshman year. I remember how happy you were when he asked you out back in November! Why would you end it in less than a year?"

Sakura kept wringing her hands nervously "Why? I'll tell you why. But first you should know something. You should know the reason that I've been…avoiding you for the past couple of months." Naruto's face became grim as he continued to listen. "I heard you Naruto. It was back in May, you and Shikamaru were talking after class." At first Naruto was looking at her with confusion. But as she talked, Sakura could see his face slowly turn to shock as he realized what she was talking about. "I heard…what you said…about me. About your feelings…for me."

"Y-You…" Naruto stuttered. His ability to form sentences seemed to escape him.

"I didn't mean to listen in." Sakura replied. "I was just…passing by. And I heard you both talking and…well…"

"I-I see." Naruto replied as his head hung low. "Sakura-chan, I-I'm sorry. I…didn't mean to…I didn't mean for this to…"

"It's okay Naruto."

"No! It's not! We're friends! I know that! Just like I know that you'll never see me in…that way. I've caused problems for you and it clearly messed with your relationship." Naruto placed both hands on the table and bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I'll do anything to help you fix things with Sasuke. I'll talk to him and get him to understand that this was my fault. That you broke things off with him because you thought it was hurting me."

"You're wrong Naruto." Sakura answered. "I didn't end things with him because of that. I did it…because…I think…I feel…the same…for you."

Naruto's eyes popped open as he slowly looked up at Sakura's face. Tears were welling in her eyes and she looked so nervous she was visibly shaking. "You…what?"

This time Sakura was the one to bow her head. "I'm sorry. I know this is selfish of me. But after I heard what you said I thought the best thing to do was to just avoid you for a while. But when I did that, all I could think of was you. These last few weeks, all I could think about was how you were doing. If you were eating right, or studying or getting enough sleep or worrying about the next game. I was so used to being by your side for all of that, since we were kids. Even when I was with Sasuke-kun, all I thought about was you."

Naruto looked down at his meal as Sakura continued to talk. "No one knows me better than you Naruto. No one knows you better than me. That's why…I think…that I lo…"

Naruto suddenly smacked the table with enough force to rattle the dishes and cause some of his drink to spill. It startled Sakura and the patrons around her as everyone fell silent and fixed their eyes on the boy. "Now?" Naruto muttered. "You say this to me now? You figure this out now? Why didn't you figure this out a year ago? Or five? Why now? You…already chose Sasuke. You're supposed to be with Sasuke."

"I just…I know this is…selfish of me."

"Selfish?!" Naruto screamed as he jumped to his feet. "That's not even the start of it! This is just cruel! You spend all this time throwing your relationship with Sasuke in my face!"

"Naruto, I never..!"

"And now because you spied on me and heard what I said you want to act like you're in love with me now?! You don't love me! You're just confused!"

"I am not..!"

"And now you ruined your relationship with Sasuke and probably my friendship with him?! Why?! Because you think you want me now?! What the hell is wrong with you?! What are you thinking?!"

"I don't know what to think anymore!" Sakura yelled angrily. "All I know is what I want! That's you! I love you! I…love…you." As Sakura said those three words she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She'd finally admitted it fully. Not just to him, but to herself.

Naruto merely glared at her angrily. "Well, congratulations. I guess you'll want me for a while until you decide you want him back, right?" Sakura felt a pang of guilt in her gut as he said that to her. Every nerve in her body screamed for her to run out of the café. But she didn't. She couldn't. She resolved herself to see this through no matter what.

Naruto and Sakura looked around to see everyone staring at them. Lady Chiyo was standing nearby with a look of concern. Even her husband was awake and watching from behind the counter. Embarrassed and unsure what to say, Naruto looked at Lady Chiyo. "Your cake was as delicious as usual, Chiyo-baasama. Thank you." He gave a quick bow. "I apologize for the scene." He quickly left the store without looking back.

Sakura slumped back in her chair. Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked stunned. _How could this have happened? Why? Why?_

"Sakura-chan." Chiyo said as she walked up to her.

Sakura looked up at her with vacant eyes as tears began to flow more profusely. She looked around at the awkward stares of all of the people in the shop. "I-I'm sorry Chiyo-sama!" She yelled as she grabbed her jacket and ran out of the shop as Chiyo called behind her.

**-Sunday June 29****th****-**

**-2:08PM-**

Sakura sat on a street bench alone as people walked by. For over an hour she walked the streets, lost in thought. Randomly, tears would well in her eyes as she thought about everything that happened in her life recently. Sakura looked up and saw the mountainous region that loomed over the western side of the city. It was about eight blocks before she would reach the path that would take her up to the park at the top.

Sakura got to her feet, her legs felt like lead as she walked towards her destination. As she did, another memory, perhaps what was the harbinger of this day, played in her mind.

**-Thursday June 26****th****-**

**-4:27PM-**

"What?" Sasuke asked in disbelief as he stood under an oak tree in a secluded spot behind the school. Standing across from him was Sakura. She had come to him earlier and asked to see him after school in private.

"I-I said, that I…want to…break up." Sakura stuttered.

"Tch." Sasuke replied as he shook his head. "Sakura I know things have been weird with us lately but whatever I did…"

"It wasn't you." Sakura answered. "It's me. You…deserve a better girlfriend than me."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Sasuke yelled as his eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Why would I deserve a better girlfriend?! You're great!"

"No…I'm not." Sakura replied as she began to cry. "I'm not. Sasuke…I think…that I've fallen for someone else."

"What?! Who?!" Sakura hesitated. Sasuke took a step towards her. "Who?!"

"N-Naruto."

Sasuke paused as the shock of her words struck him like cold water in the face. He took several almost stumbling steps away from her and leaned his back against the tree. Then to Sakura's surprise, he buried his face in his hand and began to laugh bitterly. "So…he finally did it. He finally won your heart."

"You knew?" She asked. "About how he felt?"

"Of course. A lot of us guys did. And I've been his friend since freshman year."

"And you still asked me out?"

"What's wrong with that? Naruto is too much of a chicken shit to make a move. I started to like you. So I did what he couldn't. Besides, it's not like I owed him anything. And he even said it was okay when I did." Sasuke moved his hand and glared at Sakura with scorn. "So what did he do? Did he actually grow some balls and confess?"

Sakura shook her head. It was hard to look at Sasuke while he looked at her with such obvious hate. "He doesn't even know how I feel yet. This wasn't something that happened overnight, you know. I tried to pretend that I wasn't feeling this way. I wanted to be loyal to you."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?!" Sasuke yelled so loud Sakura jumped back instinctively. She'd never seen him so mad. "So what's supposed to happen to me, now?! You want me to be happy for you both?! Give you my blessing?! Huh?!"

"I don't…I don't know."

Sasuke smirked. "Of course you don't. So fucking pathetic. Just get the fuck out of my sight. Go run to him if you want."

Sakura turned to leave. "I'm sorry." She said; her voice cracking.

"You should know one thing though." Sasuke added. "You shouldn't be so sure that things will go the way you want. Unlike you, Naruto actually knows something about loyalty. It may not turn out to be the happy ending you think it'll be."

"I'm…willing to take that chance." Sakura replied before walking away. Sakura walked a few feet before she stopped and turned to face Sasuke who was still leaning against the tree. His arms were folded as he stared vacantly at the leaves swaying above his head. "Sasuke, please don't be mad at Naruto. This isn't his fault."

Sasuke chuckled derisively. "You aren't in a position to ask me to do something that's impossible. Now, get the fuck away from me." Sakura merely nodded and walked away.

**-Now-**

Sakura walked up the path in the park. Just ahead she could see the large clearing where you could sit and look over much of the city. Sakura's hair billowed in the wind as she ascended to the top. She moved some of the strands of hair that was getting in her eyes as she walked. _I should cut my hair._ She thought. _Why the hell did I grow it so damned long anyway. _A moment later she frowned. _That's right. Sasuke-kun preferred long hair._

Sakura walked up to the railing and looked out at the bustling city below. The muffled sounds of the traffic and the people below acted as a soundtrack to the scene before her. Standing far above the world below, Sakura found a pleasurable serenity away from the chaotic world below. It was no wonder she loved to come here when she had the energy to make the trek. It was a great place to think. But this wasn't the café. This wasn't her favorite spot. No. It was his.

Sakura looked behind her, and saw Naruto sitting on a park bench under a copse of trees slowly pulling on a cigarette. He was partially obscured in their shadow as he leaned back on the bench with one arm thrown over the back. His solemn face however, betrayed his casual demeanor as he sat staring out at the blue sky, not even acknowledging her presence.

Sakura walked over silently and joined him on the bench. Neither seemed to acknowledge the others' existence for a while as they both merely sat, staring at the clouds that slowly danced across the blue sky. Minutes passed before Sakura spoke. "Thought you quit." She said without even looking at him. For some reason she felt calmer than she had all day. _Was it because I finally said those words to him?_ She wondered.

"It's either this or I drink." He said flatly as he took another puff.

"If you start doing that again it will affect your lung capacity and eventually your…"

"Quit it with the medical crap." Naruto threw the remainder of the cigarette at his feet and crushed it. "I'm not going to start up again." Once again the pair fell into silence. Minutes passed. "How'd you find me anyway? I was hoping for some privacy."

"Bull." Sakura replied with a chuckle. "If you didn't want me to find you, then you wouldn't have come here."

Naruto chuckled bitterly. "It wasn't my first choice. At first I thought about going to…"

"The batting cages uptown." Sakura said flatly. Naruto looked at her with a bit of surprise. "Or perhaps you even thought about going to the arcade on Seventh Street." Naruto merely stared at her as she spoke. "But you came here because when you need to really think about something heavy, you prefer a quieter place." Sakura finally glanced at him with a smirk on her face. "Don't look so surprised. I said I knew you, didn't I?"

"Tch!" Naruto responded with a grin. "So…what you said earlier…about how you feel…was that true?"

Sakura blushed and nodded. She made sure to keep her eyes fixed on his. _He needs to know I'm serious._

"Man, what a fucked up situation." Naruto replied. "I've been waiting since I was seven to hear you say those words to me. But now, I just feel like a pile of crap."

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Sakura said.

Naruto shifted in his seat so that he facing Sakura directly. He kept the same smirk on his face. "You want to make it up to me?" Sakura nodded. "Then you have to agree to make a deal with me."

"A deal?"

"Yup." Naruto scooted just a bit closer that made Sakura tense slightly. She could smell the light fragrance of his cologne. "Here's the deal. You need to prove to me that what you said earlier is true. If not, then we'll know that all you were doing is lying to yourself and you can go back to Sasuke."

"Prove it to you? How?"

Naruto bent a bit forward, leaning in closer. The distance between them was now such he could feel her breath on his face. "Kiss me." He said with a confident smile.

"K-Kiss?" Sakura stuttered. She turned bright red as she thought about it.

"Yup." Naruto said. His smile widened like a cat that just caught a bird. "If you love me like you say then obviously you would be fine with kissing me, right?" Sakura pulled back and looked around. During this time of day it wasn't a surprise that they were the only ones around. Seeing her hesitation, Naruto laughed. "See! I knew it! There's no way you could go through with..!"

Much to Naruto's astonishment, Sakura plunged in and gave him the most passionate kiss she could muster. Her whole body felt hot and her lips burned as she kissed him. Naruto's eyes were wide at first as he sat rigid. It didn't take long however for him to relax and kiss her back. An eternity seemed to pass as the two remained locked in a tender embrace. But finally, Sakura slowly pulled away. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself as she looked at Naruto who remained leaning forward with his lips puckered and his eyes closed. _I-I did it!_ She thought. _Damn, my heart's beating so fast._ She looked at Naruto's lips. _They're…softer than I thought they would be._ "Naruto?" She finally asked. "You okay?"

Naruto blinked several times as he seemed to be in a daze. Sakura kept calling his name but for a brief time it was as though nothing else in the world mattered. Finally he looked at her, coughed to clear his throat and looked away. His cheeks were a blazing hue of red as he fought to regain his composure. "Y-Yeah. I-I'm fine."

"Well?" Sakura asked. "Satisfied?"

Naruto nodded. "Mhmm." His face was still flushed as he looked away.

Once again they were quiet. A little girl came running up the trail with her father in tow. She squealed in excitement as she pulled him along to go see over the edge.

"So what now?" Sakura asked.

Naruto sat back in his seat with both arms hanging over the back. Sakura watched him intently. No matter what decision he came to, for better or worse, she would support it. This was the resolution she'd come to. Whatever path he chose, she would live it.

"I can't." Naruto said. Sakura felt as though she was punched in the gut. She lowered her head so that he couldn't see the look of grief and frustration she knew was plastered all over it. "Not now anyway." Naruto reached under her chin and with his finger gently raised her head up so that he would look at her. "I've loved you all my life. But I can't do this. Not this way. Not until I know Sasuke is okay with it. It's the right thing to do."

Sakura bit her lip gently nodded. "Yeah. You're right. Of course you're right. But Sasuke…he's…"

"Pissed off?" Naruto asked. "Yeah. I bet he is. It could take a while to fix this. Months. Maybe even longer. I guess the only thing to ask you is…can you wait?"

Sakura looked out towards the sky ahead of her for a moment. The sun had begun to lower during the time they had been sitting there and was now gently kissing the horizon. It was at this moment, sitting with him now, that she knew this was the right decision. She had to be by his side. "Whatever it takes." She said as she looked into his eyes. "But, only under one condition."

"Okay."

Sakura curled up under his arm, her hand resting on his chest. She could feel his heart racing. He was just as nervous as she was. Knowing that comforted her. "You have to give me today. We stay like this; just for today."

Naruto smiled and hugged her into his chest. He took a deep breath so he could enjoy the light hint of perfume that enveloped her. "I can do that. No problem at all." And so they remained, well after the sun had set, they stayed there, rarely saying a word to each other. Words were not always needed.

**-End of Chapter Two-**


	3. Chapter 3

**WELCOME**

Welcome back to the final chapter of this story. It's been fun writing this one. It's definitely a story I've been proud of. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

**THANK YOU**

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: happy everyday life; JWT2014; LucasCC; LovelySheree; SuperKirschBluete; BloodyAyame23; Djflemse; DUH BOMB; Tony Blu; The Flash Pirates; Konoha's Crimson Fox; ILuvYouHaters; Guest; PrinceOfTennisHimeChan; Anon; ichigo500; sasori521; Kodav; Sensuto; Altor of Chaos; Narasakuino; Light yagami; zackhalfia420; TMarie; Narutoandinobabi & Narp73

**RESPONSES**

**Happy everyday life** - Lol! Fair enough. Congrats and I wish you and your significant other nothing but happiness. As for my writing, I really feel as though I've improved in the last few years. Sasuke isn't a jerk in this story. But he is in a few others I'm working on. Lol! So you'll get your fix soon enough.

**JWT2014** - I don't really think it really matters if Naruto or Sakura is vergin or not, TBH. In the end it's really a minor detail IMO. Lol! But, you'll get your answer with this final chapter.

**LucasCC** - Thank you.

**LovelySheree** - Thank you for the faith you have in my skill. In all honestly i had to control myself with all of the ideas that kept popping in my head. If I didn't watch myself, this think could have been 5+ chapters long. But I think the quality would suffer with too much filler. I hope you like this one.

**SorrowoftheHeart** - I hope you really do, since it's going to be the cannon pairing anyway. Lol! Fingers crossed. Anyway, if I can help you to give the pairing a second chance then I've done my job as an author. Thank you.

**SuperKirschbluete** - Thank you so much. But may I ask what your name means? It's very interesting. Moving on, I'm happy to see that you're enjoying this story so much. It's humbling.

**BloodyAyame23** - Thank you. :)

**Djflemse** - Thank you. That's exactly what I was aiming for. A simple HS drama. Glad you're enjoying it.

**DUH BOMB** - Back and better than ever! Lol! Glad you're enjoying the story. And keep writing! Share your thoughts and feelings with the world!

**Tony Blu** - Thank you very much. I really can't push this for longer than this as I feel it would drag on a bit too long. Three chapters is enough I think. But I understand the sentiment.

**The Flash Pirates** - Thank you so much. I'm glad you found some of the humor entertaining as well. I didn't want the story to be too oppressive.

**Konoha's Crimson Fox** - Oh come now Crimson, we're all mature enough to understand what couples do right? Lol! So what if he was her first. The question is will be her last? Lol! This idea of who "deserves" a person's virginity never made sense to me. You fall in love with someone, you give it to him/her but later on it doesn't work out. You break up. Happens all the time.

**Guest** - Lol! Thank you.

**ILuvYouHaters** - Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this final chapter.

**Guest (2)** - Lol! Indeed. But I don't think that if Naruto chose to try and move on (only to fail) makes him less heroic. It makes him human. Wouldn't you agree?

**PrinceOfTennisChan** - Thank you!

**Anon** - My plot is bearable? LMAO! Thanks. But seriously, I think you're being too hard on Sasuke. For most of this story he has operated as being oblivious to Sakura's tormented emotions. And when you finally get to see him it is only after he is devastated by Sakura dumping him. So in essence he's now lashing out, perhaps unfairly, at Naruto. As for Naruto's virginity (which is a surprisingly a hot topic) that will take care of itself.

**ichigo500** - Lol! Don't let my lady find out! LMAO! We'll just keep that between ourselves. Are you from France? I'm part French. Vive la France! I hope you enjoy my other works, particularly Seven Sins and my Chronicles series.

**sasori521** - Thank you so much buddy!

**Kodav** - Really? You think it could have been extended? TBH, I considered it but I felt anything I added might feel like filler. I really wanted to keep this short and sweet, you know?

**Sensuto** - Are you talking about Naruto's reaction? Lol! Yeah, I didn't want it to be so cut and dry. I felt as though Naruto is the kind of guy who wouldn't be happy with the idea of how Sasuke will feel about all this. He is the kind of guy to put himself in anothers' shoes.

**Altor of Chaos** - Thank you so much.

**Narusakuino** - Lol! No lemons. It's not the kind of thing I'm too comfortable writing. Sorry.

**Light yagami** - LMAO! Sorry, but no. No lemons.

**zackhalifa420** - NS4Life!

**TMariee** - It's good to be back! And I have missed you and you're clever and insightful thoughts on my work. It was important to me to show that even though Naruto and Sakura are falling for each other, they are at the same time not heartless and aware of how this will affect a person they mutually care about in Sasuke, who is essentially the victim in all this.

**Narutoandinobabi** - Thank you so much.

**Narp73** - Hmm, in what way did you find their conversation troubling? I really would like to know. To be honest I agonized over that moment as I knew that was the make or break point for Sakura's feelings above all. I needed to make it feel organic without making it overly cliched. I actually re-wrote the scene twice. If there is any advice you could give it would be appreciated. Thank you for reading.

**MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR**

Okay so here is the final chapter. i hope you enjoy. It's shorter than the others and is really more of an epilogue. The funny thing is that even as I write this more ideas for a scene I could/should have added just entered my brain. Lol! Damn. Well, I hope the story is just fine without it. Please remember that this Sunday I will be releasing a new chapter of Chronicles of the Seventh after a prolonged hiatus. It's great to be back! I'll also be responding to all reviews personally. **Please** remember to leave a little **review** when done reading. Thanks!

* * *

**-Chapter Three-**

**-Three Years Later-**

**-Thursday October 3****rd**** 7:43PM-**

"Yeah!" A young, brown-haired man exclaimed as he and a group of young men, exited from a large entrance to the baseball stadium. Behind him followed several other young men raucously laughing. "Man, we really kicked ass!"

"Damn right!" Another man yelled as he walked behind. "We're the best damned minor league club in all of fucking Japan!"

Another player, an auburn haired man with freckles threw his arm around Sasuke's shoulder as they all walked together. Sasuke was dressed in light blue jeans, a black t-shirt and white sneakers. He had a duffle bag slung across his shoulder. "And it's all thanks to our two golden boys! Right Sasuke-kun?! You keep hitting like this and you'll be called up to the majors in no time! You'll be an all-star short stop in no time."

"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke replied nonchalantly, with a small smile. "You would've been called up already if you took your training more seriously."

"Ahh!" The auburn haired boy exclaimed. "Who are you kidding? This is as far as my talent will ever take me. No way I'll ever be as good as you and blondie. Now let's head back to the hotel! We need to get ready so we can head out drinking! We got a bunch of girls meeting us there. That red-head we talked to looked like she was really into me. I'm pretty sure I can get her back to my room tonight!"

"Who're you kidding!" Another player yelled. "You've got no game, bro! We all know you'll be swinging you bat solo tonight!"

"Fuck you guys!" The auburn-haired man yelled as his friends laughed at him.

Another player, a slightly older, dark haired man with glasses looked around. "Hey, speaking of our golden boys, where the hell is Naruto-kun?"

"He said he's not coming." Another player said. "He said he wanted to work out some more."

"Damn that guy!" The dark haired man with glasses yelled. "He almost never comes out with us when we go drinking. It's like pulling teeth to get that guy to loosen up! All he ever wants to do is work out. How good does that guy need to be? Everyone on the fucking planet knows he's going to get called up this year anyway. He should have a little fun before he makes the big leagues."

"It's almost like the guy doesn't want a girlfriend." The auburn haired man said.

"Shut up Kiba." Another player yelled. "You go out with us every night and you still don't have one either!"

Kiba grumbled as he folded his arms.

"Hey Sasuke, was that guy always like that in high school?" Another player asked.

"Huh?" Sasuke replied. He was lost in thought as his friends from the team talked and laughed. It had been nearly two years since he, Naruto and their friends graduated from high school. Many of his friends went on to various universities or took jobs. Sasuke had the opportunity, with full scholarships, to go to the top schools in the country. But his passion was baseball. So with Naruto, another top recruit, they both began playing with the cities minor league team with hopes of making it to the majors. _So much time had passed._ He thought as he walked amidst his joyous friends. _Since then._

"Hey! Dude, snap out of it!" Kiba yelled, jarring him from his thoughts. "I asked you if Naruto was always a monk! We hardly ever see the guy with a woman, ya know. Even when he has a bunch throwing themselves at him he doesn't pay them much attention."

"Yeah! So what's the deal?!"

Sasuke suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Sorry guys. I forgot something. You all head on without me! I'll catch up in a bit!" Sasuke quickly turned and sprinted through the streets and back to the stadium. He quickly passed the security desk and through the desolate hallways until finally making back to the locker area.

Sasuke took a deep breath and walked inside where he found Naruto wrapping his hands with white tape. He always wore tape under his gloves. It was clear he was about to head out for late night batting practice. Naruto saw Sasuke enter and smiled at his friend who watched him indifferently. "Yo Sasuke! What're you doing back here? Forget something?"

"I wanted to find out what the hell you're doing."

"Hmm?" Naruto asked as he sat on the bench. "Nothing much. Just a bit of training."

"We just had a game tonight. You pitched almost eight innings and you're about to go train? That's stupid. You'll wear yourself out at this rate."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah well…what can I say? I've got a lot of energy."

"That's cuz it's been over six months since you got laid.." Sasuke replied as he leaned against the door frame. "Maybe if you banged a girl more often you wouldn't have all that pent up energy."

"Yeah well, I guess I'm not as good with women as you are." Naruto replied. "You're always bringing them back to our place. Two or three different ones a week. I don't know how you do it."

"Bullshit." Sasuke replied flatly. "You think I haven't noticed the girls who throw themselves at you at the stadium or during open practice. Hell, they're all over you whenever we hit up a club. The words gotten out about you going to the majors soon. There isn't a woman in the city who doesn't want to get their claws into you. You wouldn't have to try very hard to get some ass if you really wanted to."

Naruto took a deep breath before continuing to wrap his hands. "Yeah? Well I guess I haven't noticed."

"Tsk! Fucking liar." Sasuke exclaimed as he looked up at the ceiling. "What happened to that brunette from six months back anyway. I know you two saw each other a couple times. You even brought her to your room a few times."

"Tch!" Naruto exclaimed as he continued to wrap his hands. "That was…never going to work. She was only into me because of the fame. She was a mistake."

"Bullshit." Sasuke replied. "She was a really nice one. If she were with me, I'd have made her my girlfriend."

Naruto laughed. "Now who's full of shit?! You don't do girlfriends."

"Wrong. I do other people's girlfriends." Sasuke said with a sly smile. "But now that I think of it, maybe it's time I do get one."

"Please, who are you kidding?" Naruto responded. "You love the single life too much. You might say you want one, but if a girl tried to get you to commit you'd look for the nearest exit."

"Guess you'd know all about doing that, right?" Sasuke asked which caused Naruto to fall silent. "Wanna know what I think? I think that no matter how many good girls come your way, they'll never be good enough. You'll always find a flaw with them whether you mean to or not. And it's all because of her isn't it?" Naruto paused but he didn't answer. "Even after all this time." Sasuke focused intently on Naruto who stared vacantly at the floor. "You still haven't let go."

Sasuke took a deep breath as he folded his arms. "You remember the conversation we had the day you came to see me? It was about three days after she confessed to you, I think."

"Heh. All I remember is you punching me in the face so hard that you damned near took my head off. I guess you might have said something after that. Things got pretty blurry after that. And I even had a concussion from the fall so I don't really remember much right after."

"Tsk! Serves you right for thinking you could just come to ask a guy if you can date his ex girlfriend less than a week after they breakup, you jackass." Sasuke sneered. "You're lucky I didn't hospitalize your ass."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, you kind of did put me in the hospital Sasuke. I had a concussion, remember?"

"Yeah. Yeah. How could I forget? You haven't stopped bitching about it since. But that's not the point. Do you remember what happened a few days later, when you got out? You actually had the nerve to show up in front of me again."

"Well, you have always called me a dumbass." Naruto replied with an awkward smile.

"You remember what you said to me on that day?" Sasuke asked. "You said that you'd wait. You said, that you wouldn't ask her out. You wouldn't date her. You and Sakura would remain only friends until I said it was okay."

Naruto paused as he looked at his long time friend. It wasn't easy to rebuild the trust that had been nearly destroyed back then. For months after, there had been tension between them. Despite the fact that Naruto knew he'd done nothing wrong he couldn't help but feel some guilt. Shortly after their breakup, Sasuke began dating numerous girls. His reputation as a womanizer became almost legendary in their school. But despite all of the girls he'd be with, none of the relationships lasted for very long. Sasuke hadn't had a girlfriend since.

As for Naruto and Sakura, it was awkward between them as Naruto decided to keep his promise to Sasuke and Sakura chose to live with his decision. Often there were things they wanted to say to each other that had to remain un-said. Sometimes he would catch Sakura looking at him before quickly looking away. She would never tell him what she was thinking in those moments. But somehow, he felt as though he knew. Because he often thought the same when he looked at her.

Their senior year came at went and over time his friendship with Sasuke repaired itself. But not once did Naruto ask Sasuke about Sakura. Even during their prom when Naruto and Sakura both went alone. Even during and after their graduation ceremony. Even after all his friends began to split off, going their separate ways to begin the next stage of their live. Never. Not once. Naruto and Sasuke were both drafted by the same Minor league team and it was Sasuke who suggested they share an apartment. Naruto finished wrapping his hand. "Yeah." He said as he finished wrapping his hand. "And you said, that you don't think you would ever be okay with it."

Sasuke walked over to a nearby window and opened it. The sounds of the city filtered in as he stared out into the night. "After that you two remained friends. You kept your distance from her. But to be honest, I really didn't believe you could at the time. I figured it would only be a matter of time before you threw aside that promise you made to me. But you never did. Even when I wasn't around I somehow knew you wouldn't."

"And during the whole thing I could see how hard that was for the two of you." Sasuke continued. "I wasn't an idiot. I knew it. But personally, I didn't care. I was still angry. I was still embarrassed. And to be honest, part of me enjoyed the fact that you guys couldn't be happy together. I used to think that you don't deserve to have the happiness that I couldn't. And when we graduated, you and I left to come here and she stayed to go to med school. I thought that you and I could finally fully move on from that crap. I know I have. But still haven't. Have you? Even after all this time, you never broke your word. Not to me. Not to her." Sasuke looked back at his friend. "How long do you plan to wait?"

"I haven't really thought about it."

Sasuke chuckled. "Yeah right." He glanced at Naruto. "How often do you talk to her?"

Naruto paused for a moment. "Once every few months."

Sasuke laughed. "Of course you do." Sasuke turned and leaned against the window sill. His hair billowed slightly in the breeze as his head hung just out the window. "And what about her? She's been in college for a while now, you know. Lots of new guys there. Lots of new opportunities to meet new people. Lots of sex takes place at that time too, ya know."

Sasuke noticed Naruto's hands fall to his knees and tense up. He didn't say a word. He just stared vacantly at the ground. "She might not have the restraint you have." Sasuke continued. "It's not easy for most people to stop doing it like that once you start. What if she stopped waiting around? What if she found a new guy?"

Naruto was clutching at his knees hard. "If she did…then…that's her choice. But I…I kept my word. I told her that only when you gave your blessing we'd meet again at her favorite spot."

Sasuke chuckled as he looked behind him into the sky. "Oh yeah. You're talking about that stupid restaurant or coffee shop back home, right?" For a while neither men said anything until Sasuke spoke up. "You know, for a long time I wondered why she dumped me. What did I do? What didn't I do? I thought about it all." An ambulance zoomed by in the streets. The blaring siren forced Sasuke to wait until it faded into nothing. "I slept with a bunch of girls that year. Hell, I fooled around with half the volleyball team."

"I know." Naruto answered. "I was the one who had to cover for you every time one of them came looking for you, pissed off, remember? I became an expert liar thanks to you."

Sasuke laughed. "I know. Why do you think I wanted you to be my roomie? Anyway, one day was thinking about everything that happened back then and it dawned on me that she never did let me go with her there. It's not like I really wanted to. I couldn't really give a shit. But I figured that I should as her boyfriend. But she would always decline."

"I always wondered why." Sasuke said as he continued. "I think, in the end, I was just never the kind of guy she could open up to. It was never really my thing to talk about my feelings or display all of that lovey dovey crap. She knew it. She knew I didn't really care about things like that. Makes sense she'd never take me. But she would go with you. Anytime you felt like it, I knew you two would meet up there. You were the only one. Only you." Sasuke looked at his friend who was looking back at him solemnly. "It was always you. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

**-Friday, October 4****th**** 1:24PM-**

"Ahhh!" Ino exclaimed as she exited the campus building out into the perfectly manicured quad, where students and faculty alike were walking about. Other students lazed around talking to each other on the lawn. A few ran about throwing a Frisbee back and forth. While there was a small group of women sitting in a small circle, while one played a guitar softly. The sun was high and despite the slight chill in the air, the weather was pleasant. "I thought that lecture would never end! Iruka-sensei talks way too much! Heart palpitations! Glucose levels! Blah! Blah! Blah! White blood cells blah! I'm going to die of boredom if he doesn't spice up his classes."

"You're being too dramatic." Sakura replied as she followed behind her friend. She was sporting a short, jaw length hair style, form fitting, blue jeans, black knee-high boots and a black wool coat. Behind them was Hinata holding several books in her hand. "Sakura-chan is right. Iruka-sensei, is a very compelling teacher. He makes the topic interesting."

"Oh please!" Ino exclaimed. "You're just saying that because you want to bone him, Hinata!" Ino winked at her.

"W-What?!" Hinata yelled. "No way! I have a boyfriend!"

"So?" Ino replied with a sly smile. "You're the one who called him cute when we first saw him. And you act like the teachers' pet in class. Admit it!"

"Shut up, Ino!" Hinata yelled as her face turned red. "I love Sai!"

"Stop teasing Hinata, Ino." Sakura said. "You're just jealous that she found a boyfriend before you."

"Whatever!" Ino replied. "I could have any guy I want! I'm just very particular about what I want! Besides, what are the odds that she'd run into Sai five months ago and they'd get together! That kind of thing never happens with old high school classmates!"

"Well, Sai-kun did have a crush on her back then you know." Sakura replied. "He just never got up the courage to confess back in high school. I think it's romantic that they were able to reconnect and find love." Hinata blushed and smiled, contentedly.

"Yeah, yeah." Ino replied as she waved both girls off. "Well it would have happened sooner if Hinata didn't waste her time with the crush he had for Naru…eep!" Ino stopped speaking and put her hand over her mouth. She glanced over and saw Hinata glaring at her with shock and disapproval. Ino had just uttered a forbidden name.

Sakura smiled solemnly as the three girls walked. Both Hinata and Ino stole glances at her, trying to read her expression. "You guys don't have to avoid bringing his name up, you know. It's not like he's dead."

"Yeah, I guess." Hinata answered. Once again they all fell silent as they walked along.

"Ugh! I can't stand this kind of mood!" Ino exclaimed. "It's damned depressing! How's about we skip the next class and head to that bar just off campus. They should be open by now. We can start the weekend off early!"

"You should try to take this more seriously." Sakura replied. "Unlike Hinata and me, you didn't get into this university because of academics Ino. It's because you're family is rich and your dad used to go here that he was able to pull some strings. So you should try a little harder."

"Oh please!" Ino said as she stretched her arms up. "I'm just here to make my dad happy. I don't care about this place. I'm just going to marry a rich, successful, handsome doctor eventually. So who cares?"

"I don't know how you expect to marry anyone when you change boyfriends every three months." Sakura said with a roll of her eyes.

""It's not my fault they're all fucking annoying once they start speaking." Ino replied with a smirk and a shrug. "Man it's so damned cold out here." Ino said as she hugged herself tight in her coat and scarf.

Sakura looked at her short black skirt. "Well maybe if you didn't dress like that in October, you'd be warmer."

"Hey!" Ino said with a smile and wink. "A peacock needs her feathers." The three girls giggled merrily.

"Sakura-chan, Ino and I are going to a drinking party later today." Hinata said. "You want to come? It'll be pretty fun. They'll be guys from Sai's art school there too."

"Sorry but I have to study for this chemistry exam." Sakura replied.

"That exam isn't until next Thursday!" Ino yelled. "Damn Sakura all you do is study, study, study! College is also about letting your hair down and getting wild! Meeting guys, drinking, meeting more guys, hangovers…and…wait did I mention the guys? All this studying is just depressing. Just blow it off for once and then wear a short skirt and flirt your way to a B like any other self respecting girl!"

Sakura chuckled. "Sorry Ino but I don't think it's possible to flirt your way to a doctorate. And I don't have a fictional rich guy waiting to sweep me off my feet."

"Nope, just a blonde one I guess." She said with a teasing smirk. Sakura merely glanced at her and smiled. Ino put her arm around Sakura's. "Sorry sweetie but this is for your own good. Hinata and I aren't taking a "no" for an answer this time. You're coming with us tonight! We're going to let our hair down, drink a bunch of colorful alcoholic drinks and get buck wild!"

Just then Sakura's phone began to chime. She pulled it from her back pocket and read the text that she'd just received. A bright smile slowly spread across her face. She suddenly looked so happy both Ino and Hinata took notice. With the deepest smile and the faintest hint of tears welling in her eyes, she turned to her friends and said, "Sorry. But I don't think I'll be able to make it tonight. It looks like I have a date. Do me a favor and take notes for the next class, will you Hinata!" Without another word, she ran off leaving her two confused friends behind.

"A date?" Ino asked. "With who?" Hinata merely shrugged in response as they watched her run off.

**-Friday, October 4****th**** 8:06PM-**

Sakura walked hurriedly down the nighttime streets. Several people walked about including several couples hugged up as they braced against the cold. Despite the chill in the air, she walked with a focused determination as the sound of her heels echoed with every step she took. After receiving that text, Sakura had rushed off to the mall to purchase a new pair of white, skinny jeans and the cutest top she could find. Coupled with a new pair of heels she had purchased months ago for a special occasion, a fresh manicure and pedicure and a little makeup, which is something she hardly wore, she now walked towards her favorite spot.

Her body shook with nervous anticipation for this moment. A moment she had been waiting so long for. A moment she started to believe would never come. _Had he forgotten me? Did he move on?_ So many thoughts would go through her head whenever she thought of him and what he could be up to.

Every time she read about him online or watched him on TV, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd found someone else. She wouldn't have blamed him if he did. His celebrity was increasing with every great game he turned in. And with that comes the women. It didn't hurt that he was good looking. In fact his name was quickly climbing the list of the hottest celebrities and athletes in the country. Once he made the pros, which according to rumors, was going to be next season, she knew the attention he would get would skyrocket. She knew she was pretty. She received enough compliments and rejected enough guys to know at least that much. But as pretty as she might be, she was just a normal girl. How could she compete with the beauties that were likely throwing themselves at him?

_ Would he still be interested in a normal woman like me?_ She would wonder. She would call or text him from time to time. Just to make sure he was okay. And when they were able to talk over the phone, they would often end up talking into the late hours of the night about school, her subjects, their friends or his last game. Every time they spoke they would end the conversation awkwardly. As if there was so much each wanted to say to each other that they knew should remain unsaid. For Sakura it was a simple question: _Are you still waiting?_ It was the one question that she couldn't bring herself to ask. Because the answer, whether positive or negative, terrified her.

If his answer was yes, it would have only deepened the longing she still had for him. Widen the hole in her heart that only his touch could fill. If the answer was no? It would have crushed her. Spiritually and physically empty. And so her question went unasked. And Sakura was left only to hope. Hope that he was still waiting. Hope that their time would finally come.

And then, finally all of her patience, all of her worrying seemed to end with a simple five worded text. Sakura finally reached the entrance to the coffee shop. _This is it._ She thought to herself as she checked herself in the reflection of the windowed door. She gripped her phone which she held tightly in her hand. She clicked it on and as the LED screen came to life, she read the text that she had kept on the screen the entire time. She read it again for maybe the hundredth time and smiled.

Sakura took a deep breath and opened the door. The familiar scents all came flooding back as she crossed the threshold inside. The smiling face of Lady Chiyo, older now, with a few more strands of grey in her hair, greeted her from behind the counter. Chiyo nodded over to the corner of the café. Sakura turned to see a blonde man in grey jeans and a black, leather jacket. He was sitting in a chair, turned so that the back was facing front and he was enjoying a piece of chocolate cake with vanilla icing and a strawberry on top.

Nervously, Sakura walked up. "Naruto."

Naruto stopped eating and put down his fork. He took a deep breath before rising to his feet. Sakura was amazed that he'd gotten a bit taller and was perhaps now a good four to six inches taller than she was. Naruto turned and smiled at her warmly. His blue eyes fixated on her with the same laser-like focus he had when playing. He raised his hand and stroked her cheek. Wordlessly, he moved in and kissed her. In that one embrace, all of their frustrations and doubts seemed to melt into an unknowable past. A moment later he pulled away. "Did you wait long?" Sakura asked.

"Too long." Naruto replied with a smile. He guided her into her seat across from him as he sat to face her. "I ordered you your favorite. Is that okay?"

Sakura giggled as she saw her cake and coffee laid out before her. "That's fine. How have you been?"

"I'm a lot better now." Naruto answered as he pulled a small jewelry box from his jacket and opened it. Inside contained a diamond necklace. The pendant was shaped as a pink Sakura flower. "I hope you don't mind me speeding things along but…would you be my girlfriend?"

Sakura teared up as she nodded yes. Naruto quickly took the necklace out, reached over the table and put it around her neck. Sakura put her phone, which she was clenching firmly in her grasp, down on the table. "I don't mind it. I think we've waited long enough." She said as she placed her hand over his. The LED screen on her phone began to dim. On the screen there were only five words.

_Meet Me At The Café_


End file.
